After much deliberation following the disqualification in the previous Eurovision, the Netherlands has decided to compete in Eurovision 2025. Will Joost Klein represent the Netherlands?

The Netherlands’ participation in Eurovision 2025 was in doubt after their representative, Joost Klein, was disqualified just hours before the grand final in the last competition in Malmö. Following the incident, the Dutch national broadcaster AVROTROS announced that their participation in Eurovision 2025 was uncertain and lowered expectations as the registration deadline approached. Since then, they have been in negotiations with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) regarding their participation, amid much drama, rumors, and statements from the Dutch that have accompanied the past few weeks.

The Netherlands Confirms Participation

It now appears that these efforts have paid off. In a statement released this evening (Wednesday), the Netherlands confirmed its participation in the 2025 competition in Basel, after the EBU promised to make changes in the organization leading up to the competition and in the conduct during it.

In the statement published by AVROTROS, the new commitments within the competition structure were outlined. Among the promised changes in the statement, the EBU committed to appointing a safety manager for the well-being of the artists this year, significantly reducing behind-the-scenes filming, providing safe spaces and areas for artists where they can rest without disturbances and without cameras, and establishing a crisis management team that will include representatives from the EBU along with participating countries and the host broadcaster – to ensure decisions are made democratically in real-time. Finally, the appointment of Martin Green as the new Eurovision manager will ensure the implementation of all changes.

Of course, AVROTROS promised to closely monitor the implementation of all changes and expressed confidence in the anticipated innovations in the competition.

The announcement of the Netherlands’ participation in the next Eurovision comes after the EBU closed registration for the competition on October 11, but extended the Netherlands’ option to withdraw from the decision until November 1 due to the many deliberations that accompanied the decision.

The Netherlands is the 34th country to express interest in participating in Eurovision 2025, following Austria, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Estonia, Belgium, United Kingdom, Georgia, Germany, Denmark, Greece, Israel, Luxembourg, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Malta, Norway, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Serbia, Portugal, Finland, Czech Republic, France, Cyprus, Croatia, Sweden and the host Switzerland.

Joost Klein: The Never-Ending Story

Recently, many rumors surfaced that Joost Klein, who represented the Netherlands last year, would represent the country again this year as a sort of compensation for his disqualification. In the current statement, AVROTROS confirmed that they indeed approached him and offered him to represent their country at Eurovision again, but the rapper declined the opportunity.

In a statement published on his Instagram account, he confirms this, adding: “My team and I had everything ready, but it just doesn’t feel good. I am very thankful for all the love around the world, however I am still very affected by this year. I need to give myself more time to heal.” He also added, somewhat poetically and somewhat sarcastically, that “Maybe I was blind, but now I see clearly. I must follow the light. Not to fight it. The media is what it is, but I have no place in it. I am not made for this big ‘machine’. My path is different and I welcome anyone who wants to join this adventure. Trust the process.”

Opening of Registration

As part of the statement, AVROTROS also announced the official opening of registration to represent the Netherlands at Eurovision 2025 in Basel. Registration will be open until November 22nd. Singers, composers, songwriters, and record labels are invited to submit songs with the potential to win the upcoming competition to the email address [email protected]. The full regulations for song submission can be found on the official AVROTROS website. A decision regarding the representative for Eurovision 2025 is expected to be made in December.