Following the events at Eurovision 2024 and after confirming participation in Eurovision 2025, the Dutch national broadcaster reveals new details about what transpired in Malmö and how it will affect the next competition.

Following the dramatic announcement this week, in which Dutch national broadcaster AVROTROS confirmed the Netherlands’ participation in Eurovision 2025 and Joost Klein’s decision not to participate again, the broadcaster officially announced additional details for the upcoming competition in Basel. During an interview, broadcaster general director Taco Zimmermann confirmed that Claudia van der Pas, who served as assistant head of delegation at Eurovision 2024 and 2023, will serve as the new head of delegation for the Netherlands in the upcoming contest.

Zimmermann expressed confidence in Claudia’s abilities, saying: “She knows the ropes. She has experienced it several times. So that gives confidence. And Claudia has done well for years. And now we have given her the confidence to become the boss herself.” Van der Pas will replace Twan Van Den Nieuwenhuizen, who resigned from his position following the tumultuous events at Eurovision 2024 in Malmö.

Behind-the-Scenes Controversies and Storms

Eurovision 2024 was fraught with tension for the Dutch broadcaster due to the disqualification of Joost Klein, who represented the Netherlands in the competition, following an incident between the singer and a production photographer. As a result, the broadcaster announced that it would declare its participation in the competition at the last moment and raised concerns about how the competition was managed. According to the Dutch, there is evidence of a written agreement defining how the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) should conduct itself in the case of filming Joost Klein backstage, but the EBU strongly denied the existence of such an agreement. The national broadcaster has yet to publish the agreement in question.

Policy Changes For Backstage In Basel

In an interview given this week by the Chairperson of the ESC Reference group, Bakel Walden, it was clarified that artists will be given private space where they will not be filmed, in order to ensure their mental and physical well-being during preparations and rehearsals. Zimmermann confirmed Walden’s statement that changes will be made to the backstage filming policy in the upcoming competition.

A spokesperson for AVROTROS explained: “[Filming] is now a lot more restricted and it is also really forbidden for people to just approach artists behind the scenes. That must first go through a Head of Media who then has to give permission. So no one can be unexpectedly confronted with a camera anymore.” In fact, this dramatic statement confirms that anyone who wants to film the artists backstage, including EBU representatives themselves, will need explicit permission from the head of the relevant delegation’s media department, including accompanying media representatives who come to the competition as part of the national delegation.

New Details on the Events in Malmö

Zimmermann described how the situation with Joost Klein surprised the entire AVROTROS team. According to him, he and his team were surprised when Joost did not appear on stage during the first general rehearsal of the Grand Final on Friday, May 10. “We were there ready for the day to start. I got a cup of coffee and walked around. We wanted to go and see Joost’s performance. And he didn’t appear on stage. And then we immediately raised the alarm and said, wait a minute, what’s going on here? I want to speak to the highest official now…and then it was announced: “Yes, something happened yesterday. We have now taken Joost out.””

Dramatic Revelation: Early Decision on Disqualification

Following the disclosure of details about the events in Malmö, a document was revealed that provides insight into the EBU’s decision-making process regarding Klein’s disqualification from the competition. The document is an updated version of the rehearsal script sent to several national commentators in the competition.

The updated document was sent at 12:56 local time on Friday, May 10, more than half an hour before the start of the rehearsal scheduled for 13:30. According to the script, it showed that the performance of the Dutch delegation was completely canceled, with the decision already made at this stage not to allow Klein to go on stage for rehearsal.

This update raises many questions regarding the conduct of the EBU. On one hand, they decided to disqualify Joost long before the rehearsal began, but on the other hand, no official and clear update was passed on to all delegations about it. The document only mentioned the term “canceled” in relation to the Netherlands’ performance, but no additional information was provided explaining the reason for the disqualification or what happened behind the scenes.

In an interview with a Dutch talk show, Klein said that he spent 8 hours backstage that Friday without receiving any further update regarding his status in the competition. This strengthens the claim that the delegations did not receive real-time information about critical decisions made, even if they were already recorded in the official script. The updated document revealed shows that the decision to disqualify Klein from the competition was made long before it began, but communication with the EBU regarding the decision was flawed.

Negotiations and Outcomes

Zimmermann detailed how the Dutch broadcaster tried to persuade the EBU to allow Klein to perform at least at the end of that day, that is, after the rehearsal was over, but ultimately this was not possible. He expressed regret about this and said: “Of course you saw a huge frustration from us about how that process went. Of course you want to sit down like adults. And we were only given that opportunity to a very limited extent.”

Nevertheless, Zimmermann says he is pleased with the steps the EBU has taken to improve the competition, and invites fans to focus on enjoying Eurovision: “I would like to say: Let’s all enjoy it a little bit again. And put the preconditions and the things around it a little bit into perspective. And especially focus on the joy of the contest. The connection and a damn good song. That’s what I would wish for the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest.”