Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in the 2008 contest. At the semi-final draw on 30 January, it was decided that the country would compete in the first semi-final on 12 May 2009. Romania qualified into the final, and was drawn at number 22. The song won a place in the final where it eventually finished 19th with a score of 40 points. Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 Romania was represented at Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia by Elena Gheorghe with "The Balkan Girls" after she won the national final, Selecţia Naţională 2009. The Romanian broadcaster, Televiziunea Română (TVR), confirmed that they
Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 songs bringing the total number of songs in the semi-final up to 18. The top nine songs of the semi-final advanced to the grand final and BNT added three further wildcards to these, making a final of 12 songs. 100% televoting selected the winning entry which then represented Bulgaria in the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest. In previous years, if a country placed in the top 10 countries in the final they automatically qualified to the final of the next contest. Had this rule remained for the 2008 contest, Bulgaria would have directly qualified for the final. However, a change in