Brussels Sounds Alarm Over Spanish Mass Regularisation
10th February 2026
The decision by the Spanish government to grant legal status to more than half a million illegal immigrants has triggered an immediate reaction in Brussels and reopened a deeper debate on sovereignty, security, and the coherence of European migration policy.
Although presented in Madrid as an administrative measure aimed at economic growth and social cohesion, the initiative has been met with “serious reservations” by the European Commission, according to EU sources, who warn of potential frictions with the Union’s common framework and with the spirit that currently guides the bloc’s migration policy.
The decree announced at the end of January by Pedro Sánchez’s executive will allow the regularisation of foreigners who entered Spain before December 31, 2025, and who can prove a minimum stay of five months or a prior asylum application. Beneficiaries will receive a one-year residence permit and authorisation to work in any sector.
From the EU’s perspective, the main problem is not only the scale but the automatic effect this decision has on the Union as a whole. Spain is part of the Schengen Area, which means that regularised immigrants will be able to move freely across Europe for up to 90 days in any 180 days. In Brussels, there is concern that this mobility could facilitate de facto residence in other member states without authorisation, putting further strain on already overburdened asylum and control systems.