The Spanish government’s plan to legalise around 500,000 undocumented migrants has triggered significant criticism in Brussels, according to anonymous EU officials who spoke to Euronews.
Three EU officials revealed to Euronews that the European Commission harbours serious concerns over Spain’s announcement to grant legal status to approximately half a million irregular migrants, fearing it may clash with the current EU migration policies.
Declared at January’s end, the measure applies to individuals who arrived before 31 December 2025. Eligibility requires undocumented foreigners to have resided in Spain for at least five months or to have sought asylum by the close of 2025.
This new regulation grants recipients a one-year residence permit along with the right to work in any sector across Spain, supporting the government’s aims for «economic growth and social cohesion,» Migration Minister Elma Saiz explained to Spanish public broadcaster RTVE.
The initiative led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has faced pushback within Brussels.
“This approach does not align with the European Union’s stance on migration,” an EU official said to Euronews. Another official added that widespread regularisation might contradict the EU’s external messaging intended to discourage irregular migration.
Sources in Brussels highlight concerns that newly regularised migrants could use their status to travel within Europe for up to 90 days every 180 days, potentially leading some to establish residence without proper authorization in other EU countries.
Magnus Brunner, EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, is set to address the European Parliament on Tuesday afternoon during a debate titled «Spain’s large-scale regularisation policy and its impact on the Schengen Area and EU migration policy».
When asked about Spain’s decision in January, Brunner refrained from passing judgment, emphasizing that it falls under national jurisdiction.
EU adopts stricter stance on migration
Spain’s decision appears to contrast with the majority of other European nations, which aim to limit access to international protection for non-EU nationals and to increase returns to countries of origin.
Recent EU legislation focuses on discouraging illegal migration through tougher asylum rules meant to boost the expulsion rate of irregular migrants.
The revision of the «third safe country» concept broadens the criteria for dismissing asylum claims as inadmissible, allowing Member States to deport asylum seekers to third countries with which they have no direct connection.
The initial list of «safe countries of origin» for asylum includes Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Kosovo, Morocco, Tunisia, and all EU candidate countries except Ukraine. This facilitates faster asylum procedures, as applications from nationals of these countries will be processed via expedited channels.
Both legislative proposals are expected to receive final approval from the European Parliament on Tuesday.
Another regulation from the Commission, known as the «return regulation,» will facilitate the deportation of irregular migrants to third countries unrelated to their origin, provided bilateral agreements are in place between those countries and EU Member States.
An integral part of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, ratified during the previous parliament term and currently implemented, is dedicated to border procedures, including their digital management, aiming to harmonise rules at all Schengen external borders.
Civil society groups, such as Amnesty International, Save the Children, and Human Rights Watch, have consistently criticised the EU for restricting asylum access and neglecting human rights protections within border procedures.