BRUSSELS — The European Broadcasting Union has amended its rules for the Eurovision Song Contest, establishing that a winning broadcaster will be ineligible to host the next event if its country faces armed conflict or a sensitive geopolitical situation.
The new regulations apply to the Eurovision Song Contest 2027 in Bulgaria. They cover any situation that materially affects the security, safety or stability of the winning state or its immediate region.
Traditionally, the winning country's broadcaster receives the option to host the subsequent contest. The amended rules formalize a process for selecting an alternative host when that is not possible.
Under the updated rules, the EBU may commission an independent security assessment of the winning region. Following that assessment, the EBU will consult its Reference Group to determine whether the winning member can host safely.
If the winning member is deemed unable to host, the EBU will identify an alternative host broadcaster. That broadcaster will assume all rights, obligations and liabilities associated with staging the event and will organize the contest in its own right, not on behalf of the original winning member.
The EBU retains discretion to determine, after consulting the Reference Group and considering a security assessment, that a winning broadcaster remains eligible to host — provided it is satisfied that the event's safety, security, integrity, continuity and operational delivery can be guaranteed.
For the purposes of this rule, "immediate region" includes the country of the participating broadcaster and its neighboring territories.
