Eurovision

RTVE president proposes keeping Spain out of Eurovision for a second year: "It's painful that Israel continues to participate"

José Pablo López said he would ask the public broadcaster's board to maintain the suspension, arguing that changes to the contest's rules had not gone far enough to meet its demands for greater neutrality

José Pablo López, Chairman of RTVE. (ABC)

Clara Molla Pagán

22/09/2026 a las 21:00h.

RTVE president José Pablo López said he will propose that Spain maintain its suspension from Eurovision for a second consecutive year, telling a parliamentary ... committee that reforms to the contest's rules had not gone far enough.

Spain has not yet announced whether it will take part in next year's contest, after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) changed some of its rules and said the festival could not be held in countries involved in conflict.

"No one with the slightest sense of human compassion can stand by and watch the suffering of the Palestinian people without unequivocally condemning what is an intolerable human tragedy," López told the Joint Committee for Parliamentary Oversight of the RTVE Corporation in the Senate on Tuesday.

"RTVE's position has always been firm. We haven't stood on the sidelines. Throughout this year, we've actively led calls for ethical reform within the EBU. We've fought to tighten the rules and guarantee strict neutrality in sponsorship and the festival.

"These are issues that have been achieved thanks to our group. That said, I'm not going to sugar-coat the reality. We're fully aware that we haven't achieved all our objectives. It's painful that Israel continues to participate. We recognise that progress has been made, but there are still outstanding issues.

"For this reason, I announce that I will propose to the board of directors that we maintain the suspension of our participation in Eurovision."

Labour disputes and AI concerns

The hearing also touched on several other issues. López rejected claims of growing labour unrest at RTVE, saying only one union had called strike action during his 22 months in charge, and defended his management team over a recent dispute involving coverage of an interview with prime minister Pedro Sánchez on the breakfast programme "Mañaneros".

He also announced a tender for a study into the corporation's staffing needs and denied that outsourcing was on the rise.

Separately, Socialist MP Víctor Gutiérrez raised concerns about RTVE's response to AI-generated misinformation, warning of the growing use of fake content to "murder the truth" and allow people to "govern simply on the basis of suspicion", a comment López did not directly dispute.