Eurosong selection delayed

The process to shortlist the entries for the Eurosong contest cannot begin until legal action filed by former Maltasong chairman Grace Borg is concluded on Friday.

The matter should have been resolved yesterday but proceedings were deferred after Ms Borg's lawyer, Patrick Galea, failed to turn up because he was abroad and had not been notified.

Ms Borg, who represents Maltese singers and has her own record label, had initially filed a judicial protest against the Minister of Education and the Public Broadcasting Services last month after the rules were changed banning foreign composers and songwriters from taking part in the local contest.

In the protest, she claimed the move was discriminatory and that it was unfair to exclude so many people from the contest, especially when networking with foreign composers could benefit local singers. The way things stood, she argued, a Maltese singer could not compete with a song composed or penned by a foreigner.

She then filed a request for the issue of an injunction, which was temporarily upheld, stopping PBS from carrying on with the process of selecting the songs, from among the submissions, to compete in the Eurosong contest.

The matter of foreign participation has been a sticking point for years. In 2005, the Union of Maltese Composers and Authors had threatened to boycott the contest if foreign composers and authors were allowed to compete in the Maltese festival.

A compromise was later struck thanks to a reciprocity clause through which composers from countries that allowed Maltese participants in their contests would be able to take part. Ms Borg had later resigned over the wording because she felt it should have been simplified.

The issue resurfaced only a few months before the Eurosong is due to be held to choose Malta's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest taking place in Finland next May.

Taking the witness stand yesterday, Joe Dimech, an advisory member on the Eurosong organising committee, said PBS had left the submissions period for songs open.

The preliminary elimination of songs was meant to start this Monday and carry on until today but because of the warrant it had not gone as planned, he added.

Mr Justice Joseph Micallef put off the case to Friday where final submissions will be made.

Lawyers Peter Grech and Victoria Buttigieg appeared for the ministry. Lawyers Joseph Refalo, Mark Refalo and Sarah Grima appeared for PBS.