Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE has called for a major reform of Eurovision rules that could prevent countries involved in armed conflicts from participating in the contest.
Call for clear participation criteria
Speaking before the Spanish Parliament, RTVE President José Pablo López urged the European Broadcasting Union to open a formal debate on changing the organisation’s statutes.
López argued that the current rules lack clear guidelines on whether countries engaged in international conflicts should be allowed to compete.
“We should open a serious debate once and for all, which I hope we can do in the coming weeks, on reforming the EBU’s statutes so that countries in conflict cannot participate in the next Eurovision Song Contest.”
According to RTVE, the proposed reform would establish explicit criteria for participation in situations involving armed conflict. However, no details have yet been provided on how such a rule would be defined or implemented.
RTVE is one of several broadcasters that have withdrawn from the 2026 edition.
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.
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News Source: verTele!
Photo Credit: Corinne Cumming/EBU