Dutch state broadcaster AVROTROS said on Monday that the Netherlands will not take part in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, citing the war in Gaza and arguing that the event can "no longer be considered neutral."
The announcement, made by Director-General Taco Zimmerman, follows a year of significant political turmoil around the contest. "It is undeniable that international conflicts are increasingly affecting the Contest, undermining its neutral character," Zimmerman said. "The Eurovision Song Contest has therefore become a platform for division."
Boycotts and Protest
The Netherlands was among several countries that boycotted the 2026 contest in protest at Israel's participation. This year, the Netherlands was joined by Spain, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia in staging what was described as the biggest political boycott in Eurovision history. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters also marched outside the event.
The Netherlands' absence in 2026 followed a decision by Irish broadcaster RTE, which in December 2025 confirmed it would neither participate in nor broadcast the contest after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) confirmed Israeli broadcaster KAN would be allowed to compete. RTE has not yet confirmed whether Ireland will participate in 2027, though in May, director general Kevin Bakhurst said there was "no reason at the moment" to change last year's position.
New Rules and Discontent
Earlier this month, Eurovision organizers announced new rules barring any country involved in an armed conflict from hosting the competition. However, AVROTROS said these changes do not go far enough.
"However, the recently announced changes ... do not provide sufficient confidence that the independent and neutral character of the Eurovision Song Contest has been restored," the broadcaster said in its statement.
AVROTROS added that it needed a clear framework to assess which countries involved in military conflicts would be allowed to participate. The broadcaster has informed Dutch public broadcaster NPO of its decision and given it the responsibility of deciding whether the country should participate.
Historical Context
The Netherlands has a long history with Eurovision, having taken part in the very first contest in 1956. The country has won five times, most recently in 2019 with Duncan Laurence's song "Arcade," which according to the Eurovision website was the first competition entry to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify.
Israel came close to winning the competition in both 2025 and 2026, placing second each time. Bulgarian singer Dara won this year's contest in Vienna, Austria, with the song "Bangaranga."
The 2027 Eurovision Song Contest is scheduled to take place in Burgas, Bulgaria, with the final on May 15. The final list of participating broadcasters and countries will be announced later this year.