The ‘visible mess’ surrounding voting in the European song festival has reduced support for the European alliance, junior foreign affairs minister Ben Knapen told Nos radio on Wednesday.

‘I am saying this somewhat ironically because there are more important things in Europe,’ Knapen said. ‘But the image of Europe is not only determined by the euro or Greece or Brussels but by the Champions League [football] and the song festival.’
Odd voting patterns during the song festival make one wonder about the objectivity of the vote and this, in turn, ‘helps determine trust in other European countries,’ the minister said.