RTVE renounces participating and broadcasting the Eurovision Song Contest

In an unprecedented decision, RTVE has announced the withdrawal of Spain from the Eurovision Song Contest after the votes held at the 95th General Assembly of the UER held this Thursday in Geneva, which concluded with Israel's permanence in the European music competition.

The Board of Directors of RTVE agreed last September that Spain would withdraw from Eurovision if Israel was part. The departure of the Festival also implies that RTVE will not broadcast the final of Eurovision 2026, which will be held in Vienna (Austria) on May 16, nor the previous semifinals of the contest, which will take place on the 12th and 14th.

The president of the Corporation, Jose Pablo Lopez, has expressed through social networks an atmosphere of lack of transparency in the Assembly. “What happened at the EBU Assembly confirms that Eurovision is not a song contest but a festival dominated by geopolitical interests and fractured,” he noted.

Spanish public television, along with seven other countries, has requested in writing a secret vote in the Assembly. The EBU presidency has denied RTVE a specific vote on Israel's participation. This decision increases RTVE's distrust in the organization of the festival and confirms the political pressures surrounding it.

In his speech before the General Assembly prior to the voting, the general secretary of RTVE, Alfonso Morales, has explained that the Corporation “recognizes and values” the measures adopted by the EBU and the Reference Group to defend the central principles and values of the Eurovision Song Contest. “However, we consider that these measures are insufficient,” he said.

“I would not like to express our serious doubts about the participation of Israeli television KAN in Eurovision 2026. The situation in Gaza, despite the ceasefire and the approval of the peace process, and the use of the contest for political objectives by Israel, make it increasingly difficult to maintain Eurovision as a neutral cultural event,” he remarked.

The person in charge of the Corporation has also expressed his concern about the instrumentalization of the vote in recent editions and the absence of sanctions in this regard. "We should not accept double standards. Neutrality and transparency is a common objective to guarantee a truthful result that respects the audience and citizens," he said.

For this reason, RTVE has demanded a secret vote for all votes scheduled today in the Geberal Assembly, both scheduled and not, in relation to the Eurovision Song Contest. It has also requested a vote on the possible temporary suspension of KAN's participation for a minimum period of one year, with the option of a review after the end of this period and has advanced that if it is not approved, RTVE will not be able to participate in this edition.

He highlighted that the management of the EBU and Eurovision “is causing one of the greatest internal tensions in the history of the organization.” We firmly believe that this situation should never have come to pass,” he stressed.

The general secretary of RTVE added that the issue of sanctions on Israel for its continued non-compliance with the rules of the Eurovision Song Contest should have been addressed at an executive level and not by transferring the conflict to the Assembly, to avoid tension between different members.

Finally, Morales has indicated that RTVE maintains this position "out of respect and deep concern for the complicated situation in which we find ourselves and with the hope that we will be able to continue forward and remain united in the EBU."

During the Assembly and after the intervention of the representatives of the different countries, the new measures adopted by the EBU and the Reference Group were voted on. The new rules have gone ahead with 738 votes in favor of the new measures, 264 against and 120 abstentions.