The Dutch public broadcaster AvroTros announced today that it will boycott the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027, for the second consecutive year, due to Israel’s participation and the situation in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, reports the Reuters news agency.
AvroTros added that the contest lacks clear rules for excluding countries involved in wars.
“The recently announced changes by the European Broadcasting Union do not provide enough confidence that the Eurovision Song Contest has regained its independent and neutral character,” the AvroTros statement reads.
The Netherlands boycotted the contest in 2026 in protest against Israel’s participation.
Israel came close to winning the contest in both 2025 and 2026, ultimately finishing second on each occasion.
The Eurovision Song Contest will be held next year on May 15 in the Bulgarian city of Burgas, located on the Black Sea coast, according to Euronews.
This will be the first time a Balkan nation hosts the contest, after Bulgarian singer Darina Yotova, known as Dara, won this year’s competition in Vienna with the song “Bangaranga”.
Since its launch in 1956, Eurovision has become a premier pop platform, bringing global fame to Swedish group ABBA and helping the careers of Celine Dion, Cliff Richard, and Olivia Newton-John.
The 2026 contest was watched by 131 million viewers, 35 million fewer than the previous year, after the Netherlands, Iceland, Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia boycotted due to Israel’s participation.
Slovenia, Spain, and Ireland also refused to broadcast the contest.
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