Brussels warns Spain: a residence permit “is not a blank cheque” for the EU

The European Commission has cautioned Spain over its plan to regularise more than half a million migrants, reminding Madrid that residence permits issued at national level cannot be treated as a “blank cheque” for free movement across the entire European Union.

Commission steps into the Spanish regularisation debate

The warning came from the European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, during a debate in the European Parliament on Spain’s proposed large‑scale regularisation and its impact on the Schengen area.

Brunner stressed that, while migration policy contains elements that are strictly national, all member states must ensure that their decisions do not generate unintended consequences in other EU countries. He underlined that any residence permit granted by one state remains subject to common Schengen rules and does not automatically grant the right to settle elsewhere in the bloc.

“A residence permit is not a blank cheque”

In his address, the commissioner summed up the Commission’s position with a clear message: “A residence permit is not a blank cheque to move around the Union.” He linked this principle to the need for Spain and the rest of the EU to respect the common framework governing who can enter, stay and circulate within Schengen.

Brunner also warned that Spain’s choices must be assessed in light of their potential effect on partners that share its external borders or are popular destinations for secondary movements of migrants. According to him, the delicate balance reached in recent EU negotiations on migration and asylum should not be put at risk by unilateral measures that alter that equilibrium.

Context: Spain’s planned mass regularisation

The parliamentary debate was triggered by Spain’s announcement that it intends to grant legal status to more than 500,000 migrants already residing in the country, a move framed by the government as a way to recognise de facto residents and respond to labour market needs.

Supporters of the plan argue that integrating undocumented workers would reduce exploitation, increase tax contributions and address persistent labour shortages in sectors such as care, agriculture and hospitality. Critics at EU level, however, fear that a broad regularisation could encourage new arrivals and generate additional pressure on other member states if newly regularised migrants attempt to move northwards.

New EU migration and asylum pact on the way

Brunner used the debate to highlight that the Commission is finalising a new Pact on Migration and Asylum, expected to enter into force this summer, which will redefine how the EU manages arrivals, asylum procedures and border controls.

According to the commissioner, the pact aims to ensure that migration to the EU is “safe, legal and controlled”, combining stricter checks at external borders with mechanisms of solidarity and shared responsibility among the 27 member states. He insisted that national initiatives such as Spain’s must be compatible with this broader framework.

Public opinion and irregular crossings

Brunner referred to recent surveys showing high levels of concern among EU citizens about uncontrolled migration and a strong demand for more coordinated action against irregular entries. He noted that a clear majority of Europeans say they are very worried about irregular migration, and that most want member states to act together.

At the same time, he pointed out that irregular border crossings and asylum applications have fallen in the last two years, a trend he attributed to joint work by EU institutions and national governments rather than to geopolitical chance. In that period, he said, thousands of people have been refused entry at the Union’s external borders.

Returns and the limits of regularisation

Beyond Spain’s specific proposal, the commissioner underlined that returns of people without the right to remain in the EU remain one of the weak points of European migration policy. Currently, only a minority of migrants in an irregular situation are effectively returned to their country of origin or transit.

Brunner argued that return procedures must become “more effective, faster and more agile” if the EU wants to maintain credible rules on entry and stay. He reiterated that, as a general rule, people who have no legal right to be in the Union “must leave”, even as the EU continues to pursue legal migration channels and protection for those in need of asylum.

Commission: Spain’s decision is legal but must respect EU rules

Despite its warning tone, the Commission has acknowledged that it is ultimately up to the Spanish government to decide how to handle the status of migrants on its territory, since regularisation falls under national competence.

Brussels has indicated that an extraordinary regularisation process, like the one announced by Madrid, can be a lawful option when it responds to concrete labour market needs and respects existing EU legislation. The key condition, the Commission insists, is that any residence permits granted as a result must be managed in a way that does not undermine the common rules governing movement within the Schengen area.

A delicate balance between solidarity and control

Closing his remarks, Brunner described the evolution of EU migration policy as a “marathon” that has required difficult compromises among member states and is still far from over. The challenge now, he said, is to preserve the balance between solidarity with frontline countries and firm control of who enters and stays in the Union.

For Spain, the debate highlights the fine line it must walk between addressing domestic social and economic realities and complying with a shared European framework. The coming months, as the new pact takes shape and Madrid details its regularisation plan, will show how far that balance can be stretched without fracturing unity among the 27.