The EU has issued a stark warning to Spain over its controversial decision to regularise 500,000 illegal migrants.
EU Home Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner has told Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez that any migrants regularised in Spain but later found elsewhere in the EU will be returned immediately.
He has also called for Spain’s ‘loyal cooperation’ to ensure the return mechanism is applied without delay.
The warning makes clear a national residence permit issued by Spain does not grant the right to live or work in other EU countries.
‘Such permits only allow residence and work in the member state that issued them,’ Brunner said in a formal response to a question in the European Parliament.
If a migrant with Spanish residency is found living irregularly in another EU country – or applies for asylum there – they must be sent back to Spain, he added.
Fallout from Spain’s mass regularisation plan
The warning comes after Spain announced plans earlier this year to regularise half a million undocumented migrants, in a move that has sparked concern in Brussels.
While migration policy largely remains a national competence, the European Commission has stressed that decisions taken by one country can have direct consequences across the entire Schengen area.
Officials have also expressed frustration that Spain did not formally inform EU institutions about the planned regularisation, despite its potential impact on other member states.
Political tensions rising
The issue has become increasingly politicised.
Spanish opposition figures argue the EU’s response exposes a lack of coordination between Madrid and Brussels, warning it could strain relations with other member states.
At the same time, the Commission is signalling that while countries can set their own migration policies, they must still respect shared rules governing movement within the EU.
