RTVE chief to seek Spain’s Eurovision 2027 boycott

RTVE president José Pablo López said he will ask the Spanish broadcaster’s board to keep the country out of the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, citing Israel’s continued participation and saying recent rule changes have not addressed all of his concerns. The board has not made a final decision, so Spain’s participation remains unresolved. López made the proposal during a parliamentary committee hearing on September 22. He said RTVE had sought changes to the contest’s governance and safeguards, and described the revisions announced by the European Broadcasting Union as technical progress while saying concerns remained on ethical grounds. The proposal must be approved by RTVE’s board before it becomes Spain’s position for 2027. Ireland has separately confirmed it will neither compete in nor broadcast the 2027 contest. Its public broadcaster, RTÉ, said the continuing humanitarian crisis and loss of life in Gaza meant Ireland’s participation could not be justified. Ireland also stayed out of the 2026 contest, held in Vienna, alongside Spain, the Netherlands, Iceland and Slovenia. The Netherlands’ status is less clear.