The key facts

  • NPO reversed its earlier decision to return to Eurovision 2027, despite confirming participation in September
  • About 400 NPO employees signed a letter demanding a reconsideration of the decision
  • NPO will keep broadcasting the contest; Ireland and the Czech Republic are also skipping it, while Spain is discussing a boycott

The Netherlands withdraws from participation again

The Netherlands will not take part in Eurovision 2027: the country's public broadcasters' union NPO has reversed its earlier decision to return to the contest, as reported by Euronews. This is a reversal of the position confirmed in September: in August, the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS announced it would not participate due to Israel's presence on the list of participants, but NPO then declared its return.

Why the decision changed

The return sparked a wave of criticism within the organization: about 400 NPO employees signed an open letter demanding a reconsideration of participation. NPO's Director General Jet de Ranitz explained that in discussions with broadcasters, 'at first it seemed there was enough support for a return,' but in the end no broadcaster could be found willing to send a Dutch artist. According to her, 'given the intense public debate, we decided to temporarily take a step back.' At the same time, NPO will keep broadcasting the contest in the Netherlands.

Organizers' reaction and other boycotts

Eurovision Director Martin Green expressed regret but said the organizers 'understand the decision and respect the strength of feeling behind it,' adding that opinions about the contest are currently 'polarized both within countries and between them.' The Netherlands is not the only dropout of 2027: Ireland has already announced its non-participation, Spain's RTVE leadership has supported the boycott, and the Czech Republic is skipping the contest for a different reason — due to budget cuts.

Context: the contest's crisis

Last year, five countries — Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia — boycotted Eurovision after the organizers refused to exclude Israel amid the military operations in Gaza. At the time, RTVE criticized the decision-making process as 'insufficient,' RTÉ called participation 'unjustifiable in the face of the humanitarian crisis,' and Slovenia's RTVSLO said participation contradicted its values of peace and equality. According to Euronews, the contest's audience last year was 131 million viewers — 35 million fewer than the year before. The Eurovision 2027 final will take place on May 15 in Burgas, Bulgaria, following Dara's victory in Vienna.