Kazakhstan’s Eurovision dream hits EBU membership barrier

Kazakhstan’s hopes of making its Eurovision Song Contest debut next year have run into a bureaucratic obstacle after the European Broadcasting Union ruled that the country’s state-owned Khabar Agency does not currently qualify for full membership.

The EBU said Thursday that Khabar’s recent application to compete in the annual music contest could not be accepted because Kazakhstan falls outside the European Broadcasting Area, is not a member of the Council of Europe and does not hold formal observer status with the organisation.

“Khabar Agency therefore does not qualify for full membership at this time,” the EBU said in a statement, according to POLITICO.

The requirements are set out in the EBU’s statutes, which were relaxed in June to allow broadcasters from certain countries outside Europe to become full members.

“Khabar Agency is a valued Associate Member of the EBU, and we appreciate its long-standing engagement with the Union,” the statement added.

Khabar Agency, which is controlled by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Culture and Information, has represented the country at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest five times, between 2018 and 2022, finishing as runner-up on two occasions. Its associate membership of the EBU, however, does not provide an automatic path to participation in the senior contest.

Kazakhstan has a geographical argument for inclusion: a small part of its territory lies within Europe, although that area is larger than Greece. The European Union is also Kazakhstan’s largest trading partner.

Geographical location, however, has not been an absolute barrier to Eurovision participation. Australia has competed since 2015 through special invitations and finished fourth in May this year. Canada went further after the EBU changed its membership rules in June: CBC/Radio-Canada became a full EBU member and is due to make Canada’s Eurovision debut in 2027.

Canada qualified because it holds observer status with the Council of Europe and meets the EBU’s criteria for public-service media.

Russia, meanwhile, competed in Eurovision regularly in the past despite most of its territory lying in Asia. It was expelled from the contest following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The decision on Kazakhstan comes as Eurovision itself faces renewed geopolitical controversy. Five broadcasters boycotted the 2026 contest over the participation of Israel, another country outside Europe, citing its conduct in the Gaza Strip. Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS has already said it will also withdraw from the 2027 contest.

For now, Kazakhstan remains outside Eurovision’s main competition, with Khabar Agency retaining only associate membership of the EBU.

By Tamilla Hasanova