No changes will be made to flag rules for Eurovision 2025.
It has been confirmed that, despite the Dutch broadcaster’s best efforts, there will be no changes made to the flag policy for this years Eurovision Song Contest. ad.nl have reported that AVROTROS have had a “constructive conversation” with the EBU about the new rules in place regarding which flags the Eurovision 2025 participants are allowed to bring on stage.
Eurovision 2025 flag policy recap
Just recently, the EBU released a new and updated flag policy that would be in place for Eurovision 2025. In this policy, they confirmed that audience members will be allowed to bring in all flags into St Jakobshalle, which includes flags of non-participating countries, and pride flags. They can bring them in as long as they do not contain any political messages / images, and they do not violate Swiss law.
However, for the Eurovision 2025 participants, it’s a different story. It has been confirmed they will only be allowed to bring the flag of the country they are representing on stage with them. Flags from non-participating countries or pride flags will not be permitted. Each artist will be given their own country’s flag by the Swiss broadcaster to use in the dress rehearsals / live shows.
AVROTROS speaks out!
Last week however, the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS challenged the EBU’s flag policy for Eurovision 2025. The broadcaster requested a meeting with the EBU after the LGBTQ+ advocacy group COC protested the new flag policy. However, these discussions did not bring about change, and the EBU confirmed that the flag rules would remain in place for this years contest because it is too close to Eurovision to change the rules this year.
Whilst the broadcaster believes this to be a missed opportunity, they ultimatley respect the EBU’s ruling: “The EBU has chosen to maintain the current policy. Although we consider this a missed opportunity, we – like the other 36 countries – respect the rules that now apply for this year. We are now focusing on the connecting power of music in the belief that the dialogue about visibility and representation can best be conducted jointly and with an eye to the long term.”
The broadcaster goes on to mention that it has noticed that other countries are open to their plea, but ultimatley, it’s too short notice to now change the rules for the contest. However, the COC maintains that the EBU’s ruling is “completely wrong signal in this time when the pink community is under pressure worldwide.” ad.nl report that the COC is in talks with other European LGBTQ+ organisations, and is considering a response.
What are your thoughts on the new flag policy for Eurovision 2025? Do you think we will see changes for the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest? Let us know qhat you think in the comments below!
