In a letter to the EBU, Norway’s broadcaster NRK has raised concerns about Israel’s participation in Eurovision.
Changes made were not enough
Jostein Olseng, NRK’s entertainment director, signed the letter sent to the EBU with the Head of Norway’s delegation, Mads Tørklep. In the letter, they highlighted concerns surrounding Israel’s participation and outlined some rule changes they would like to see implemented at next year’s contest.
Ahead of the 2026 contest, the EBU introduced some rule changes to prevent a vote on Israel’s participation. In NRK’s view these changes were not enough, and they believe that Israel’s participation continues to threaten the contest’s reputation.
Discomfort caused by delegation and private security
NRK highlights in the letter how the atmosphere in the arena changed during the voting when Israel was once again in the top battle for the win. This situation caused questions to be raised about how to handle the situation if things escalated.
They also mentioned that interactions between audience members and individuals associated with the Israeli delegation during these events were concerning.
NRK executives also underlined the fact that the Israeli delegation had their own private security team in front of the stage as Noam Bettam was performing and in the greenroom.
“The presence of civilian security guards who were very close to the delegations, especially in the green room, was perceived by several members of our delegation as alienating and unpleasant in an environment that is normally intended to be characterized by cooperation.”
Preliminary analysis of viewership of Norway’s national selection Melodi Grand Prix and the Eurovision Song Contest have found that the controversies surrounding Israel’s participation have contributed to fewer viewers.
Demands for rule changes
The letter also requested that the EBU should “evaluate whether the current situation surrounding Israel’s participation raises major questions” in accordance with the competition’s regulations.
“Overall, we believe that the reporting of organized campaign efforts, the recurring controversies surrounding Israel’s participation, and the broader impact on the public’s perception of the competition warrant careful scrutiny.”
Rule changes surrounding influencing the vote being easily influenced by campaigns based on the geopolotical situation were outlined. The EBU has already announced rule changes for the upcoming contest, with more to possibly be expected.
Jostein Olseng does, however, state in an interview with VG that it is not NRK’s place to demand a boycott of another EBU member but that they hope that Eurovision can return to its core values and avoid focusing on “geopolitical conflicts and political tensions”.
Calls dating back to last year
NRK made similar pleas to the EBU last year following the 2025 contest. That same year, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Iceland, and Slovenia pulled out of the 2026 contest due to Israel’s participation.
For the upcoming contest in Burgas, Ireland has confirmed they will not participate, AVROTROS will not participate for the Netherlands, but the country will still participate. Spain’s RTVE’s president has recommended that the country not participate in the 2027 edition, and Slovenia and Iceland are yet to make a decision.
The Journey to Eurovision 2027
The journey to the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest kicked off immediately following DARA’s win in Vienna, when Bulgaria’s BNT accepted the rights to host the 71st edition of the contest. After a lengthy bidding process, the coastal city of Burgas was announced as the host city for the Contest on August 13th. The two semi-finals will take place on the 11th and 13th of May, with the grand final being on the 15th of May.
As for the organisation of the competition, the Bulgarian government stepped in to create an organising committee, which was revealed at the end of May 2026, with further details about next year’s competition to be revealed in due course.
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News source: Aftonbladet
Photo credits: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU
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