Netherlands withdraws from Eurovision 2027 over Israel

Dutch public broadcaster NPO announced that the country will not participate in Eurovision 2027 in Burgas, Bulgaria, reversing its September decision to return to the contest amid criticism of Israel’s participation.

The Netherlands will not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2027, which will be held in Burgas, Bulgaria. Public broadcaster NPO announced the decision, reversing its decision made in September to return to the contest.

“It is still too early to participate in Eurovision in 2027,” NPO Director-General Yette de Ranitz said. The company acknowledged that Israel’s participation has prompted mixed reactions, debate and division in society.

Eurovision contest venue (archive)

No broadcaster was found

NPO had planned to organize the country’s participation through an independent team of external experts, with support from other public broadcasters, but none of them agreed to allocate staff. Around 400 NPO employees had previously signed a letter calling for the participation decision to be reconsidered.

AVROTROS, which had been responsible for the Dutch entrants since 2014, also boycotted the 2026 contest in Vienna, saying it “can no longer be considered neutral” while one of the participating countries is conducting large-scale military operations.

The boycott continues

Ireland’s RTÉ also announced that it would not participate in the 2027 contest, while the head of Spain’s RTVE supported continuing the boycott. This year, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia withdrew from the contest after organizers declined to exclude Israel. Eurovision Director Martin Green expressed regret over the Netherlands’ decision. The contest final will be held in Burgas on May 15.