The Netherlands will not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2027, with Dutch public broadcaster NPO reversing its earlier decision to pursue a return following opposition from other public broadcasters and protests from hundreds of employees over Israel’s participation.
NPO announced the decision today, explaining that discussions with the various public broadcasters had revealed insufficient support for a Dutch entry. Preparations for the contest, scheduled to take place in Bulgaria in May 2027, have therefore been suspended.
It's another twist in the Netherlands’ position on the contest, since in August, AVROTROS, the broadcaster traditionally responsible for the Dutch Eurovision entry, announced that it would not participate in 2027 due to Israel’s involvement and the war in Gaza.
In September, NPO decided to take direct responsibility for organising a Dutch participation, prompting opposition within the Dutch public broadcasting system.
NPO chair Jet de Ranitz acknowledged that the broadcaster had initially believed there was sufficient support for a return, but said that a suitable solution could not be found. She added that, given the sensitivity of the issues involved, it was too early for the Netherlands to return to the contest.
Around 400 employees from various public media organisations had signed an open letter in mid-October titled Not My Eurovision, opposing the proposed participation and criticising the decision-making process.
NPO’s Director of Media, Jurre Bosman, said Israel’s participation had prompted different reactions across Dutch society and caused division among broadcasters and their staff. He stressed that the Netherlands would only send an artist and delegation if they had the full support of one or more broadcasters.
Despite withdrawing from the competition, the Netherlands will still broadcast both semi-finals and the Grand Final, with commentary in Dutch, through public broadcaster NOS. NPO also intends to continue discussions with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) about the contest’s future.
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