VRT Warns Eurovision 2027 Entry Is Unlikely Without EBU Reform
Belgium’s Flemish public broadcaster VRT says eurovision 2027 looks unlikely unless the European Broadcasting Union changes its participation rules. Spokesperson Yasmine Van der Borght said the broadcaster wants a firmer stance on war and violence and a clearer framework rooted in respect for human rights.
VRT and RTBF
"Under current conditions, the likelihood of VRT sending an artist next year is low," Van der Borght said. VRT also called for a more transparent EBU decision-making process and said member broadcasters should have the right to vote directly on participation questions.
That warning lands in a system where Belgium’s Eurovision mandate alternates annually between VRT and RTBF. RTBF held the mandate this year and sent a representative to Vienna, so any pullback from VRT would shift the burden back to the other broadcaster in the next rotation.
Israel Vote at the EBU
VRT said disputes over Israel’s participation and the EBU’s decision-making process have gone unanswered. The EBU kept Israel in the 2026 contest at its December 2025 general assembly after member broadcasters declined to hold a direct vote, a move that triggered a wider split among national broadcasters.
Five countries have officially pulled out of the 2026 contest: Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland. Their exits give VRT’s warning more weight because the Belgian broadcaster is not speaking in isolation; it is joining a growing bloc that wants the EBU to change how participation decisions are made.
February Protest in Reyerslaan
Trade unions at VRT and RTBF placed wooden figures in their shared building on Reyerslaan in February bearing the message Boycott Eurovision. More than a thousand artists also signed an open letter titled No Music for Genocide, asking public broadcasters, performers, fans and production crews to withhold support until Israel is removed from the contest.
PTB lawmaker Nabil Boukili pushed the same argument when he compared the situation with the EBU’s swift suspension of Russian broadcaster VGTRK after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. For VRT, the practical read is blunt: unless the EBU changes course on participation policy, Belgium could go into the next rotation without its Flemish broadcaster sending an act at all.
