Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT said it will participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) voted this week to keep Israel in the competition, prompting several countries to withdraw in protest.
At the EBU General Assembly on December 4, member broadcasters voted on Israel’s participation and decided the country should remain in the 2026 contest, LRT Director General Monika Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė said Friday.
“To ensure transparency in voting for participating songs, the EBU last month introduced rule changes. Members voted that these changes are sufficient and that no additional measures will be taken,” she said. “As an EBU member, LRT respects this decision and does not plan any actions regarding the contest.”
The new rules for 2026 include stricter and clearer restrictions on promotional activity aimed at influencing the vote, a reduction in the maximum number of votes each viewer can cast to 10, and the return of juries in the semifinals, whose votes will account for half of the final result.
The EBU said it also plans further technical measures to prevent unfair voting.
Backlash from EBU members
After the decision was announced, Spain said that it will not take part in Eurovision 2026. The country, which is one of the five big funders of the EBU, also said it will not broadcast the competition.
“The situation in Gaza, despite the ceasefire and the approval of the peace process, and Israel’s use of the contest for political purposes, is making it increasingly difficult to maintain Eurovision as a neutral cultural event,” RTVE Secretary General Alfonso Morales said in a statement.
RTV Slovenia will also not participate in the contest, according to Chairwoman Natalija Gorscak. “Our message is: we will not participate in the ESC if Israel is there. On behalf of the 20,000 children who died in Gaza,” she said.
Ireland’s RTE also declared it would not participate or broadcast the contest, citing the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and targeted attacks on journalists.
Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS also confirmed its withdrawal. It said in a statement that Israel’s participation, coupled with the humanitarian situation in Gaza and restrictions on press freedom, conflicted with the organisation’s core values.
Meanwhile, the board of directors of Iceland’s national broadcaster RUV is set to discuss next week whether to take part in Eurovision.
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