The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has approved new rules for the Eurovision Song Contest concerning the selection of the host country. The changes stipulate that the winning country will not be able to host the contest if an armed conflict or other serious geopolitical situation significantly affects the safety, defense, or stability of the country or the neighboring region. Until now, such decisions were made on a case-by-case basis. Now, the corresponding restriction is officially enshrined in the contest rules. According to the EBU statement, if necessary, the organization will be able to commission an independent assessment of the security situation before making a final decision on the location of the semifinals and final. In fact, the new rules define the mechanism of action in case the winning country cannot ensure the safe conduct of one of the largest television shows in Europe. Although the EBU statement does not mention specific countries, the changes may be significant for Israel. In 2025 and 2026, the country placed second in the contest twice in a row and remained one of the contenders for victory. This year's contest was already accompanied by an unprecedented situation. For the first time in Eurovision history, five countries—Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain—refused to participate. They explained their boycott by disagreeing with Israel's presence amid the ongoing war against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. If the winning country cannot host the contest, the EBU will select another organizer. In this case, the host will conduct Eurovision under its own name, rather than as a representative of the winning country. The new scheme differs from the one applied after Ukraine's victory in 2022. Due to the full-scale Russian invasion, the contest could not be held on Ukrainian territory, so Eurovision 2023 took place in Liverpool, UK, with the UK as the host country on behalf of Ukraine. The changes establish a procedure for the future and make the rules for holding the contest more definitive in cases where safety becomes the main factor in selecting the host country.