EU Approves Stricter Migration Policies Despite Spain's Opposition

On December 8, 2025, the EU member states agreed to tighten migration rules through a comprehensive set of measures, including the creation of 'return centers' outside the EU to process rejected asylum seekers. This decision, endorsed at a Brussels meeting by the interior ministers of the 27 countries, aims to streamline asylum procedures and expedite returns by revising the "safe third country" concept. The updated legislation allows asylum requests to be dismissed if applicants could have sought protection in designated non-EU 'safe countries,' which now include Morocco, Colombia, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Kosovo, and Tunisia.

However, Spain, along with France and Portugal, opposed the expansion of this concept, with Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska expressing growing skepticism about the effectiveness of return centers amid external pressures. Critics, including leftist parties and human rights groups like PICUM, condemned these measures as violations of migrants' rights and warned they could increase legal insecurity and risks for vulnerable individuals.

The EU also agreed on a new asylum distribution system whereby member states must accept asylum seekers or pay a fine of €20,000 per person. This approach targets countries under heavy migration pressure like Greece and Italy, but many remain reluctant to receive more refugees. European Commissioner Magnus Brunner highlighted the importance of showing firm migration control to citizens as the political climate grows more demanding. While the proposals must still pass the European Parliament, they have already received strong backing from right-wing and far-right factions.