European Broadcasting Area

The European Broadcasting Area (EBA) is defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as such:

The "European Broadcasting Area" is bounded on the west by the western boundary of Region 1, on the east by the meridian 40° East of Greenwich and on the south by the parallel 30° North so as to include the northern part of Saudi Arabia and that part of those countries bordering the Mediterranean within these limits. In addition, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and those parts of the territories of Iraq, Jordan, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey and Ukraine lying outside the above limits are included in the European Broadcasting Area.^[1]

The EBA includes territory outside Europe, and excludes some territory that is part of the European continent. For example, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia were defined as outside the EBA borders until 2007.^[2] After the EBA was expanded by the 2007 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-07) to include those three countries,^[1] the only ITU member state with territory in Europe while remaining outside the EBA is Kazakhstan.

The boundaries of the European Broadcasting Area have their origin in the regions served and linked by telegraphy cables in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The European Broadcasting Area plays a part in the definition of eligibility for active membership in the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and thus participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. As of February 2022,^[update] the European Broadcasting Union has 66 members from 55 countries, 31 associates from 20 countries, and 8 approved participants.^[3]