The Netherlands will not take part in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027, Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS has said, citing concerns over the impact of the conflict in the Middle East on the event’s neutrality.
AVROTROS said on Monday the contest could no longer be considered neutral while a participating country remained involved in a large-scale military conflict.
The broadcaster said it had spent the past year calling on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes Eurovision, to introduce transparent rules governing the participation of countries involved in military conflicts.
However, AVROTROS said recently announced changes by the EBU had not provided enough confidence that the contest’s independent and neutral character had been restored.
Its decision, it said, was consistent with its values of "trustworthiness, independence and humanity."
