RTVE will propose extending Spain's Eurovision boycott to 2027 contest over Israel

Proposed withdrawal from the 2027 contest

Spanish public broadcaster RTVE will ask its governing board to keep Spain out of the Eurovision Song Contest for the 2027 edition. RTVE President José Pablo López announced the decision on 22 September 2026 during a session of the Joint Parliamentary Control Committee in the Senate. The proposal extends the boycott that Spain established during the 2026 contest in Vienna. López stated that the persistence of Israeli public broadcaster KAN in the competition makes Spanish participation untenable. If approved by the RTVE Board of Directors, Spain will mark its second consecutive year absent from the international event.

“I am going to propose to the Board of Directors that the suspension of RTVE's participation in Eurovision be maintained.”

Negotiations within the European Broadcasting Union

Over the past year, RTVE partnered with other public broadcasters across Europe to demand structural changes within the European Broadcasting Union. Spanish negotiators sought stricter governance standards, explicit sanctions against political instrumentalization, and binding guarantees for the neutrality of contest sponsorships and balloting systems. The EBU adopted select technical revisions, including restrictions that prevent host broadcasters from staging the event within conflict zones. However, the EBU rejected calls to exclude KAN from the competition, leaving RTVE leaders dissatisfied with the overall outcome.

“We are fully aware that not all objectives have been achieved. It is painful that despite everything, the Israeli public broadcaster will continue to participate.”

Parliamentary exchanges and broader tensions

The Eurovision debate took place during a broader legislative hearing covering RTVE management and internal labor relations. Sumar lawmaker Francisco Sierra Caballero formally questioned López regarding the broadcaster's stance on the Gaza conflict, urging RTVE to maintain its boycott and accusing KAN of defending war actions. Sierra Caballero also proposed the resignation of EBU leaders and suggested creating a replacement organization with allied public broadcasters. In response to separate questions about labor unrest, López noted that he has led RTVE for 22 months, reporting that a recent one-hour strike organized by the CGT union saw 1.96% worker participation.

“Nobody with the slightest human sensitivity can witness the suffering of the Palestinian people without a firm and severe condemnation of what is an intolerable human tragedy.”

Contest schedule and voting background

The dispute between RTVE and the EBU escalated after the 2025 contest, where Israel finished in second place after obtaining 297 points from the public televote. In response to that result, López sent a formal letter to EBU leadership requesting an independent external audit of the voting data and tighter limits on audience ballot submissions. Spain subsequently withdrew from the 2026 contest in Vienna, pulling the live broadcast from Spanish television screens. The 2027 competition is scheduled to take place in Burgas, Bulgaria, on 11, 13, and 15 May 2027, with Spain's final participation status awaiting the board's upcoming vote.