The Netherlands will not be competing in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest after all.
Last year, The Netherlands was one of five countries to pull out of the competition in protest over Israel’s involvement, in light of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Earlier this year, the country’s national broadcaster Avrotros announced it would be continuing its boycott of the event for the second year running in 2027.
A spokesperson for Avrotros said at the time: “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.”
Just a month later, it was revealed that another Dutch broadcaster, NPO, had picked up organising duties on The Netherlands’ behalf, suggesting that the country would be returning to Eurovision in 2027 after all.
However, NPO has now made it clear that this will not be the case, due to what’s been described as “insufficient support”, meaning The Netherlands will now not be competing.
“Due to the sensitivities surrounding the themes currently at play, we have decided to take a step back for the time being,” NPO exec Jet de Ranitz was quoted as saying.
Joining The Netherlands in boycotting this year’s event in May were Iceland, Ireland, Slovenia and Spain.
Ireland’s broadcaster has already confirmed that it won’t be returning to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027, with decisions yet to be made regarding Iceland, Slovenia and Spain’s participation.
Meanwhile, Belgium’s broadcaster VRT claimed back in May that “chances are slim” that it would “send an artist next year”. However, it was later confirmed that it had made a u-turn, and Belgium would be involved in next year’s event.
Czechia has also withdrawn from Eurovision 2027, but this was for financial reasons, rather than a result of the ongoing controversy surrounding the contest.
Eurovision is due to take place in Bulgaria for the first time in 2027, following Dara’s triumph in this year’s live final back in May.
