RTVE president José Pablo López backs Spain’s Eurovision 2027 boycott over Israel, but the final decision remains with the RTVE board.
Could one of the Eurovision Song Contest’s Big Five countries remain absent from the competition for a second consecutive year? José Pablo López, president of Spain’s national broadcaster RTVE, announced today (Tuesday) that he will recommend that the broadcaster’s board continue Spain’s non-participation in Eurovision 2027.
Appearing before the parliamentary committee overseeing RTVE, López claimed that Spain had led calls for an “ethical renewal” within the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), but that not all of Spain’s demands had been met – above all, the exclusion of Israel from the competition.
“It hurts that Israel will continue to participate”
“We negotiated tougher competition rules, sanctions for any attempt at political exploitation, and guarantees of complete neutrality in sponsorships and in the competition itself,” López said. “These things were achieved thanks to RTVE, but I will not sugarcoat reality: not all the objectives were achieved. It hurts that, despite the situation in Gaza, Israel will continue to participate in the competition.”
In light of this, López explained that despite the “technical progress” made, an “outstanding debt” remained within the competition. He therefore said he would recommend that the RTVE board “continue our suspension of participation in the competition.”
It is important to stress that López’s recommendation does not constitute a final decision. The official decision rests with the RTVE board, which includes representatives from a range of political parties in Spain. A majority of board votes is required to approve continued non-participation, with that majority reportedly potentially achievable through support from left-wing and regional parties, similar to the decision taken ahead of Eurovision 2026.
The discussion on Eurovision 2027, which was originally scheduled for Wednesday, September 16th, was postponed and is expected to return at the next RTVE board meeting. RTVE has also requested an additional extension from the EBU to make its decision, meaning that the absence of a decision at this stage does not indicate that Spain has definitively withdrawn from the competition. The original deadline for confirming participation in Eurovision 2027 was September 15th, although the option of withdrawing remained open after that date under arrangements with the EBU. Other countries have also received extensions to make their decisions regarding participation in the contest.
Strong backlash and complaints over the boycott
According to a report by RTVE’s public ombudsman, more than 100 submissions dealt directly with the Eurovision Song Contest, with the overwhelming majority focusing on the controversial decision to boycott the event.
Of the submissions received, 96 were official complaints that strongly criticized RTVE’s decision not to participate in or broadcast Eurovision 2026, making Eurovision the subject of the largest number of complaints against RTVE during the quarter.
The second-largest issue, with 95 official complaints, concerned what was described as biased coverage by RTVE of the “Global Sumud Flotilla” to the Gaza Strip, which was led by Swedish Eurovision 2009 representative Greta Thunberg’s daughter.
Public Backlash and Political Inquiries
According to a report by the RTVE Ombudsman, more than 100 public inquiries dealt directly with the Eurovision Song Contest, with the vast majority focusing on the broadcaster’s controversial decision to boycott the event.
Out of the inquiries received, 96 were official complaints heavily criticizing RTVE’s decision not to participate or broadcast the 2026 contest, making Eurovision the largest subject of complaints against the Spanish national broadcaster for the quarter.
The second most prominent issue, with 95 official complaints, was RTVE’s allegedly biased coverage of the “Sumud Flotilla” to the Gaza Strip, led by the daughter of the 2009 Swedish participant, Greta Thunberg.
As a reminder, RTVE announced a complete withdrawal from Eurovision 2026 last December and declared it would not broadcast the competition at all, in protest of the EBU’s refusal to expel Israel. This extreme move is not disconnected from the internal political context: the Spanish government, led by Pedro Sánchez, relies on a coalition with far-left parties and maintains a harsh diplomatic line against Israel.
This conduct by the national broadcaster recently led to the establishment of a commission of inquiry in the Spanish Senate, designed to investigate politicization and government involvement in the boycott decision. Surprisingly, while the Senate investigates RTVE’s biases, the EBU chose to back the Spanish broadcaster, expressing “deep concern” over the inquiry, citing a breach of broadcast independence. Currently, it appears that these political struggles and alleged hypocrisies not only hurt the Spanish audience but also directly impact the European production budget and burden the other participating nations.
Spain has not yet decided whether it will participate in 2027 or continue to boycott the contest, but so far, it has not altered its rigid stance, which aligns with the hostility of the Spanish Prime Minister towards Israel.
Spain in Eurovision 2025
“Esa Diva” (in English: “That Diva”) is the title of the song performed by singer Melody, who represented Spain at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland.
Spain finished 24th with 37 points – 27 points from the juries, placing 21st, and only 10 points from the televotes, placing 22nd. In the last 20 years, Spain managed to finish only 3 times in the top 10.
Eurovision 2025: This was Spain’s 65th participation in Eurovision. Spain joined the competition in 1961 and won it twice consecutively in 1968 and 1969. Spain has hosted the contest on its territory only once in 1969 and, since then, has had the longest waiting time since its last victory – 56 years.
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A writer and content creator with a strong specialization in the Eurovision scene, particularly across Eastern Europe and post-Soviet countries. His work highlights the artistry, storytelling, and cultural variety that define the contest, offering readers a deeper look into both established performers and emerging voices.
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