Zurich city parliament approves 20 million loan for ESC
Published: Wednesday, Jul 3rd 2024, 19:30
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Zurich City Council has approved a framework credit of CHF 20 million for the Eurovision Song Contest. However, the City Council's urgent application was controversial.
Parliament has expressed its willingness to support the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) on several occasions. It recently passed two postulates on the staging of the ESC. The municipal council approved the framework credit on Wednesday by 82 votes to 29 with one abstention.
The event is a unique opportunity for Zurich, said Marco Denoth (SP). It offered a platform for an inclusive, cosmopolitan city, but also added value. It was right for the city to invest money in this. Përparim Avdili (FDP) said that his party wanted to bring an event with such a huge impact to Zurich.
SVP and part of the left against
The SVP had reservations. Sebastian Zopfi said that his party was opposed to the loan, not the event itself. "Do the people even want to spend that much money?" he asked. The event should be self-supporting.
Left-wing representatives were not all enthusiastic either. The Greens were critical of major events and the event contradicted the city's climate goals, said Dominik Waser. Sophie Blaser (AL) was annoyed by the "blank check" of the urgent motion: the city council was not taking the militia parliament seriously.
The CHF 20 million is the maximum amount that parliament can approve. In the event of a positive decision by the SRG and the European Broadcasting Union, the city of Zurich can use the framework credit to pay for the bid, planning and implementation.
Cantonal Council must also decide
The venue would be the Hallenstadion. The Kongresshaus would be available for other official events as part of the major event, and a "Eurovision Village" would be created on the Landiwiese.
On Monday, the ESC will also be a topic in the Zurich Cantonal Council. It is discussing a loan of 5 million francs to be made available for the police.
In addition to Zurich, Bern/Biel, Basel and Geneva are also bidding to host the ESC 2025.
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