In 1999, France, Germany, Spain, and the UK became automatic qualifiers as the highest-paying EBU members. Contestants were also free to perform in any language, a rule not seen since the 1970s. In a controversial move, the orchestra became optional, meaning all entries performed to a backing track for the first time. Latvia withdrew late, and after Hungary declined the offer to participate, the final spot went to Portugal. Meanwhile, Finland, Greece, FYR Macedonia, Romania, and Switzerland were unable to compete due to low average scores in previous years. The Cypriot entry, a pre-contest favourite, received only two points. After the show, Croatia was sanctioned for using synthesized backing vocals against the live-vocal rule. As a penalty, they lost 33% of their points, which negatively impacted their five-year average score.
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