ESC 2025, Spain, Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia leave

Last November 21, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced a change to the Eurovision regulations, effectively postponing until today the decision and vote on Israel’s participation in the next edition, requested by several countries due to the conflict in Gaza.
The meeting of EBU members took place today in Geneva in which a decision on the regulation was to be made. The majority of members expressed themselves in favor of the new regulation: “This vote means that all EBU members who wish to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 and agree to respect the new rules are eligible to take part”, effectively opening the door to Israel’s participation and blocking a direct vote. “Participants representing EBU members were asked to vote by secret ballot to determine whether they were sufficiently satisfied with the new measures and safeguards announced last month, without having to vote on attending next year’s event,” the statement said.

This complex process has resulted in a split, with several countries – Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands – already announcing that they will not take part in the 2026 edition, taking place at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, on 12, Thursday 14 and Saturday 16 May 2026. Several other countries have announced that they will make a decision in the coming days. Today evening, Thursday 4 December, Slovenia also announced that it had withdrawn its participation in the next edition of the competition.

In a statement from the EBU, it said that “EBU members show clear support for reforms aimed at building confidence and protecting the neutrality of the Eurovision Song Contest by allowing all members to participate”, and that the assembly chose not to vote, with the full list of participating countries to be announced by Christmas. EBU President Delphine Ernotte Cunci said: “The result of this vote demonstrates the shared commitment of our members to safeguarding transparency and trust in the Eurovision Song Contest, the largest live music event in the world. I would like to thank all members for their thoughtful, respectful and constructive contributions during today’s session and throughout the extensive consultation process undertaken this year. These discussions have led to significant changes to the Eurovision Song Contest rules, ensuring that they remain a place of unity and cultural exchange”.

But the regulation changes were not enough to calm things down: these changes will still allow Israel to participate – unlike what happened at the beginning of the war in Ukraine, when Russia and Belarus were excluded from the competition. The Netherlands, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia have already announced that they will boycott the event. According to ADNkronos, the Dutch broadcaster Avrotros communicated that “After weighing all perspectives, Avrotros has concluded that, in the current circumstances, participation cannot be reconciled with the public values that are fundamental to our organisation”, while the Irish public broadcaster Rte communicated: “Following the EBU Winter General Assembly held today in Geneva, in which Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest was confirmed 2026, RTE’s position remains unchanged. RTE will not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, nor will it broadcast the competition. RTE believes that Ireland’s participation is unacceptable, given the appalling loss of life in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk.”