VRT, the Dutch-language Belgian public broadcaster, has announced that it will not send a commentary team to Vienna for Eurovision 2026.<\/p>\n
VRT will not send a commentary and content creation team to Vienna for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. Peter Van de Veire, who has been the VRT Eurovision commentator since 2014, will provide commentary from VRT Studios in Brussels. VRT NWS, the news division of VRT, will send a team to Vienna to provide journalistic reports on the contest.<\/p>\n
VRT released the following statement:<\/p>\n
\u201cWith this approach, VRT aims to fulfil its role in a democratic society: not as a gatekeeper that decides what the public can and cannot see, but as a reliable guide that helps people understand what is going on, why it is sensitive and what questions it raises.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWithin the EBU, VRT has repeatedly and explicitly criticised the way in which the Eurovision Song Contest is organised today. VRT advocates for an event that makes more room for solidarity, connection and peace. The broadcaster believes that the EBU does not take sufficient account of the social context and the sensitivities that exist among a large part of the public. VRT is thus taking the same critical stance towards the EBU as a number of other Western European countries that are not participating but are broadcasting the event.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two days ago, unions representing workers at VRT and RTBF called for both broadcasters to boycott<\/a> Eurovision 2026 over Israel\u2019s continued participation in the contest.<\/p>\n Essyla will represent Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 with the song \u201cDancing on the Ice\u201d. She will perform in the second half of the first semi-final on May 12.<\/p>\n