THE NETHERLANDS WILL participate in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest in Bulgaria,\u00a0after it boycotted the competition this year over Israel\u2019s participation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dutch network Avrotros,\u00a0which selected the country\u2019s entry and broadcast the show, withdrew in 2026 and said it would not participate this year as the event can \u201cno longer be considered neutral while a participating country remains involved in a large-scale military conflict\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was one of a number of public broadcasters, including RT\u00c9, that withdrew from the contest in Vienna after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) decided to allow Israel to continue competing.<\/p>\n
The NPO, the umbrella body which oversees public broadcasting in the Netherlands, has now stepped in.<\/p>\n
In a statement, it said coverage of the semi-finals and final will be provided by broadcaster NOS, while an independent team will be set up to select the Dutch participating act.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is important that, as a public broadcaster, we remain part of this unifying European event at this moment in particular,\u201d NPO\u2019s director of media Jurre Bosman said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The statement said the EBU has \u201ctaken significant steps regarding the rules of the Eurovision Song Contest\u201d since last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
These measures were introduced following controversy over voting practices at the 2025 contest, after it emerged that an Israeli government agency had used social media advertising and state accounts to encourage votes for Israel\u2019s entry.<\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s contestant, Yuval Raphael, finished second that year after receiving the highest number of public votes.<\/p>\n
The EBU subsequently introduced measures aimed at discouraging government-backed promotional campaigns, reduced the maximum number of votes per payment method from 20 to 10 and brought professional juries back to the semi-finals.<\/p>\n
It subsequently introduced a rule that excludes the winning country from hosting the competition<\/a> if it is engaged in \u201can armed conflict\u201d or \u201csensitive geopolitical situation\u201d.\n<\/p>\n Continuing boycotts<\/p>\n