Dutch public broadcaster AvroTros has announced it will boycott the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, citing Israel's participation amid the "severe humanitarian suffering" in Gaza. The decision, announced on August 24, 2026, comes after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) introduced new rules that prevent a winning country from hosting the following year's contest if involved in an armed conflict, but AvroTros said these changes were not enough.
AvroTros cites loss of neutrality
In a lengthy statement, AvroTros, which is part of the NPO umbrella organisation for Dutch public broadcasting, said the event "can no longer be considered neutral, with a participating country still involved in a large-scale military conflict." The broadcaster added that "geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are having a significant impact on the Contest and have led to deep divisions."
The statement continued: "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." AvroTros said participation in the competition was "no longer consistent with the values of AvroTros: trustworthiness, independence and humanity."
Rule changes and broader boycotts
The 2027 contest is scheduled to take place in Burgas, Bulgaria, following Bulgarian singer Dara's win in the 2026 edition. The EBU's new rules, introduced ahead of the 2027 contest, block a winning country from hosting the following year's event if it is in an armed conflict. However, AvroTros argued that a clear framework for assessing participation is still missing.
The broadcaster referenced several countries, including the Netherlands, boycotting the 2026 Eurovision Contest, as well as an open letter calling on the EBU to ban Israel's public broadcaster, KAN. The statement said: "The severe humanitarian suffering in Gaza and the ongoing restrictions on press freedom have contributed to increasing divisions surrounding the Eurovision Song Contest in recent years."
Future of Dutch participation
AvroTros' withdrawal does not strictly rule out the Netherlands from Eurovision, as another Dutch broadcaster could step in. AvroTros said it will hand the decision on Dutch participation to the NPO. The statement underlined the need for clarity: "Under which circumstances is participation compatible with a neutral Eurovision Song Contest, and when is it not? For AVROTROS, it remains unclear on what basis the EBU makes that assessment."
