Overview
- Meeting in Geneva, member broadcasters declined an exclusion vote and approved rule changes aimed at neutrality and voting integrity.
- AVROTROS, RTVE and RTÉ confirmed withdrawals, with Slovenia’s RTV also announcing a boycott and several other broadcasters considering exits before the year‑end entry deadline.
- The reforms reinstate professional juries in the semifinals and tighten restrictions on advertising and coordinated online campaigns to limit undue influence on results.
- Spain’s absence carries outsized financial and competitive weight because it is one of the Big Five contributors with an automatic spot in the final.
- Austria’s ORF and officials criticized the boycotts and urged participation, as the EBU noted past probes found no evidence of vote manipulation in 2025 despite extensive online promotion.