RTVE will ask its board to keep Spain out of Eurovision 2027. The UER has announced new safeguards but will not exclude Israel, leaving the final decision with RTVE's directors.
RTVE plans to keep Spain out of Eurovision 2027 despite reforms announced by the Unión Europea de Radiodifusión. José Pablo López will take the proposal to the Corporation's Board of Directors. The boycott is not final yet.
The dispute centers on Gaza, Israel's participation, and whether the UER's changes go far enough for Spain.
The UER responded directly to López. Martin Green, the contest's director, said the organisation respects RTVE's internal process and is waiting for the board's decision. He also made clear that the UER still wants Spain to take part in the contest planned for Bulgaria.
Ireland has already confirmed that it will neither participate in nor broadcast Eurovision 2027, citing the humanitarian situation in Gaza and Israel’s continued presence in the contest.
The UER's message is conciliatory, but it offers little change on the central dispute.
According to the statement, Green referred to concerns raised by member broadcasters over the past year. The Grupo de Referencia, which governs the contest, has approved a package of changes.
The package includes stronger safeguards against improper external influence and promotion. It also sets stricter voting limits, brings professional juries back to the semi-finals, broadens the makeup of juries, and improves the voting system. The UER says the measures are meant to keep the competition safe.
One major demand remains unanswered. Israel has not been excluded from the festival. That is still the main reason RTVE does not want to recommend a return.
The UER said it regretted that Spain could stay away despite the reforms. It described Spain's absence from Bulgaria as a disappointment.
The reform package also addresses external campaigns and sponsorship neutrality. The UER presents these restrictions as safeguards against political influence and possible manipulation surrounding the vote.
López has based his position on the humanitarian situation in Gaza. He said that no one with minimal human sensitivity could see the suffering of the Palestinian people without condemning it.
His objection is not limited to voting rules or contest management. He also sees participation under the current conditions as an ethical problem.
RTVE says it has spent the past year working with other European broadcasters to seek changes to the UER's governance rules. Its demands included stronger protection against political instrumentalisation and guarantees of neutrality in sponsorships and at the festival.
López acknowledged that not every goal had been reached. He described ethics as an unresolved issue. The Corporation's assessment was not complacent.
The board now has the decisive role. López has announced the proposal, but the final decision still awaits formal processing within RTVE.
That distinction matters. Spain has not been formally withdrawn from Eurovision 2027. Its president is openly recommending that the suspension continue for a second straight year.
Reporting by RTE confirms that the UER respects this internal procedure while still seeking Spain's participation.
The latest position follows earlier reporting on RTVE's demand for neutrality and its opposition to Israel's participation. The UER's reply confirms that the reforms address voting safeguards and outside influence. They do not address the issue Madrid considers most serious.
This dispute cannot be settled by technical changes alone. The UER has offered procedural reforms. RTVE is judging the festival against a political and ethical standard linked to Gaza and Israel.
That gap explains why the two sides can accept the same reforms and still move toward opposite decisions. RTVE's proposed boycott is not final, but it is the clearest position the Corporation has announced so far. The UER's invitation has not changed it.
If the board approves the proposal, Spain could miss the 2027 contest in Bulgaria.
