Netherlands to perform without Joost Klein at Eurovision next year

The Netherlands will send an entrant to the Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland next year, Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS confirmed earlier reports on Wednesday evening. Joost Klein was offered the chance to participate again after his disqualification earlier this year, but he has declined.

The decision followed months of talks with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the annual event. The Dutch broadcaster said that there are now "sufficient guarantees" that structural changes will be implemented at the music festival.

AVROTROS, along with broadcasting companies from other countries, pushed for structural change at the song festival after the edition in Malmo, Sweden, this year, where Klein was disqualified after an incident behind the scenes.

Some of the measures that will be implemented by the EBU is the presence of a so-called safety manager near the artists, the severe reduction of behind-the-scenes filming, and a space behind the scenes where artists cannot be disturbed.

“AVROTROS will continue to follow this process closely but we are hopeful and have confidence in the renovation of the largest music festival in Europe,” the broadcasting company said in a statement.

The company has now opened the registration for participation on behalf of the Netherlands in the song festival. Interested artists, composers, and lyricists can register until Friday 22 November.

Klein was disqualified when he allegedly made a threatening movement toward a camerawoman after his semi-final performance during this year's competition in Malmö, Sweden. This caused the woman to flinch and damage her camera. This came a few days after the organization had already urged Klein to improve his behavior.

This even led to a criminal investigation, but the Swedish prosecutors dropped the case due to insufficient evidence. The case was confirmed closed when the camerawoman stated that she did not wish to appeal the decision.

AVROTROS lodged an official complaint about the incident last year and threatened to pull out of the contest in the future. However, the discussions between the broadcasting company and the EBU have changed the company's stance.