Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE) has officially requested a “serious and in-depth debate” within the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) over Israel’s participation at Eurovision. The call was made during the first day of the 94th EBU General Assembly, held on Thursday (July 3rd).
Spain pushes for debate on Israeli participation
RTVE believes that Israel’s presence in the contest has had “a negative impact on the development of the festival,” shifting the spotlight away from music and culture, and towards political tensions.
Alfonso Morales, Secretary General of RTVE, opened the General Assembly by laying out Spain’s position. He urged the EBU to begin an internal debate on the issue before the next General Assembly, scheduled for December 2025.
Israel’s participation has shifted the focus of the contest to political matters rather than cultural, artistic, or musical ones – which are at the heart of Eurovision.
Spain’s request was reportedly supported by several other countries, though they were not named in the RTVE press release.
Voting system under scrutiny
In addition to its concerns about Israel’s involvement, RTVE also called for a review of the Eurovision voting system. The broadcaster argued that the current format allows sympathy votes influenced by war or political conflict to skew the results – something it believes should be addressed.
This follows wider discussions at the EBU General Assembly, where several broadcasters questioned the challenge of keeping the contest apolitical. These concerns came following recent tensions surrounding Israel’s participation and how the EBU handled the July 3rd debate.
Spain’s Eurovision journey
Spain debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961 with Conchita Bautista’s “Estando Contigo”. The country earned its first win in 1968 with Massiel’s “La La La”, and won again in 1969 with Salome’s “Vivo Cantando” in an infamous four-way tie. Although they have yet to win again, Spain earned several 2nd place finishes, most famously with Mocedades’ “Eres tu” in 1973 and Anabel Conde’s “Vuelve conmigo” in 1996.
In 2025, Spain selected Melody. As part of the Big 5, she did not need to qualify for the Grand Final from the semi-finals. At the close of voting, her song “Esa Diva” finished 24th, with a total of 37 points. Of these, 27 points came from the jury, whilst 10 came from the televote.
Is the EBU doing enough to address concerns like those raised by RTVE? Is a broader change needed in how participation is handled? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2026!
News Source: RTVE
Photo Credit: RTVE
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