RTVE president José Pablo López will propose that Spain withdraw from Eurovision 2027. The Council of Administration is expected to decide in October after the reforms failed to meet every demand.
Spain is moving toward a second straight absence from Eurovision. RTVE president José Pablo López said he will propose withdrawing from the 2027 contest. The proposal is expected to go before RTVE's Council of Administration at a meeting in mid-October in Santander. Ireland has already confirmed that it will not attend the event in Burgas, Bulgaria.
The decision is not final. López still needs the council's approval. The same body backed non-participation in 2026, with 10 of its 15 members voting for the measure.
A mid-September meeting on Spain’s Eurovision 2027 participation was postponed, confirming that RTVE had not yet taken a formal final decision at that stage.
RTVE's position is tied to Israel's presence in Eurovision. López acknowledged that several changes were introduced over the past year. They included ending Israeli company Moroccanoil's sponsorship, barring countries at war from hosting the festival and introducing a new voting system meant to prevent vote manipulation. Reuters and RTÉ reported that the European Broadcasting Union revised several Eurovision rules. RTVE still considers the changes insufficient.
Those measures have not satisfied the RTVE president. One unresolved demand is the removal of Eurovision director Martin Green. López has also opposed Spain's participation because not every stated objective was met. RTÉ reported that he directly linked any continuation of the boycott to Israel remaining in the contest.
The next contest is now facing a wider boycott.
Spain was part of a broader group of countries that declined to participate in the 2026 contest because Israel was admitted. Reports also identified Slovenia and Iceland among the countries associated with that earlier wave of refusals, alongside Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands.
Spain's proposed withdrawal would put it alongside Ireland, which confirmed its absence last week. The 2027 festival is scheduled for Burgas. Spain's participation will be decided in Santander by the Council of Administration. Bulgaria will host the contest, while RTVE's governing body will settle whether Spain takes part.
The Eurovision decision is separate from the multilateralism position Pedro Sánchez presented in New York coverage, where Spain rejected smaller circles in favour of broader international cooperation. This action is being taken by RTVE through a formal proposal and an internal vote scheduled by its governing body, rather than by the government directly.
Spain will still take part in the next Eurovision Junior, scheduled for Malta on 24 October. Israel is not participating in that competition. Spain will appear alongside the Netherlands and Ireland, which have also joined the boycott of the main festival.
The two contests are being treated differently. Spain is not leaving Eurovision-related events altogether. Its proposed refusal concerns the main festival and is tied specifically to Israel's participation. Without Spain, the Netherlands and Ireland, Eurovision Junior would have had only 13 participating countries.
Based on the available facts, López's position is clear. He accepts that reforms were introduced but considers them incomplete, and Israel remains the main obstacle. The October council vote will decide whether that position becomes RTVE policy for a second straight year. If the council approves the proposal, Spain will miss two consecutive Eurovision contests. If it rejects it, participation could still be reconsidered.
