AVROTROS, the Dutch public broadcaster responsible for the Netherlands' participation in Eurovision, announced it will not take part in Eurovision Song Contest 2027. The decision leaves the Netherlands set to miss the competition for a second year running, after it was also absent from the 2026 edition.
The broadcaster said it had made the decision because it no longer considers Eurovision a neutral event while one of the participating countries remains involved in a large-scale military conflict. AVROTROS also said geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are having a significant impact on the festival and have caused deep divisions among broadcasters and the public.
AVROTROS presses the EBU for clearer rules
According to the broadcaster, it spent the past year pressing the European Broadcasting Union, which organises Eurovision, for transparent rules governing the participation of countries involved in military conflicts. AVROTROS said the changes the EBU has since announced do not offer sufficient guarantees to restore what it sees as the contest's independent and neutral character.
The European Broadcasting Union is the alliance of public broadcasters across Europe that has run Eurovision since 1956, when it began as a way to test live cross-border television links. The contest has since grown into one of the world's largest live entertainment broadcasts, watched by hundreds of millions of viewers each year.
Door left open for another Dutch broadcaster
AVROTROS's withdrawal now leaves the decision in the hands of NPO, the Dutch public broadcasting organisation, over whether another operator could take over the country's representation at the contest. There is no legal obstacle preventing a different Dutch channel from taking on the role, meaning the Netherlands' absence from Eurovision 2027 is not yet final.
Bulgaria's countdown to hosting Eurovision 2027
Eurovision 2027 will be the 71st edition of the contest and will be held in the Bulgarian city of Burgas on 11, 13 and 15 May next year.
With the host city now confirmed, organisers are due to announce the creative team behind the show before 30 August, including the executive producer, the creative director and the showrunner, the figures who will shape the edition's visual and artistic identity.
The timeline continues before 10 October with the presentation of the projected budget and the financing model, two elements considered essential to guaranteeing the project's economic viability. With this schedule in place, Bulgaria has officially begun the countdown to staging one of Europe's biggest television and music events, setting out from the start the deadlines that will govern the edition's development.
