Kazakhstan can’t sing its way into Eurovision in 2027
The EBU says the country “does not qualify for full membership at this time.”
Kazakhstan's bid to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027 has been thwarted by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which has determined that the state-owned broadcaster Khabar Agency does not meet the necessary criteria for full membership. The EBU cited that Kazakhstan falls outside the European Broadcasting Area, is not a member of the Council of Europe, and lacks formal observer status with the organization.
Although the broadcaster has been an Associate Member of the EBU for some time, providing Khabar with the opportunity to participate in Junior Eurovision, it does not offer an automatic pathway to compete in the senior contest. Despite a portion of Kazakhstan being geographically located in Europe, and the country being a significant trading partner with the EU, these factors alone do not suffice for full membership.
In contrast, Canada recently joined the EBU as a full member and will compete in Eurovision 2027, meeting the public-service-media criteria and holding observer status with the Council of Europe. The rejection of Kazakhstan's bid comes amid increasing geopolitical tensions, with five broadcasters choosing to boycott the 2026 contest due to Israel's participation, leading Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS to also boycott Eurovision 2027.
Brief written by urgent.news from Politico EU's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
