The Dutch national broadcaster AVROTROS has confirmed it won’t compete in Eurovision 2027.
This will be the second year in a row where AVROTROS chooses to boycott the contest
Their official press statement goes as follows:
AVROTROS will not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027 because the event can no longer be considered neutral, with a participating country still involved in a large-scale military conflict. Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are having a significant impact on the Contest and have led to deep divisions. Over the past year, AVROTROS has called on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to establish transparent rules for the participation of countries involved in military conflicts. However, the recently announced changes by the EBU do not provide sufficient confidence that the independent and neutral character of the Eurovision Song Contest has been restored. Participation is therefore no longer consistent with the values of AVROTROS: trustworthiness, independence and humanity
AVROTROS claims the EBU hasn’t provided tools or answers on how to make the contest more neutral. It ties its decision directly to the participation of countries in military conflict.
In 2026, the Netherlands was one of 5 countries that decided to withdraw from the contest, together with Spain, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia.
However, this doesn’t mean that the country won’t take part in Eurovision 2027.
The Netherlands’ participation in Eurovision is up in the air after AVROTROS passed the baton back to the NPO. While another public broadcaster could theoretically take over, Omroep MAX has already ruled itself out of the running
Eurovision 2027 will be held in Burgas, Bulgaria on May 11th, 13th, 15th, 2027
