“Poland could learn a great deal from Spain when it comes to migration,” Speaker of the Sejm Włodzimierz Czarzasty said on Monday, referring to the Madrid government’s plan to accept half a million foreigners.
At the end of January this year, the Spanish government approved regulations that will allow the legalization of the status of around half a million immigrants currently staying in the country illegally. The government in Madrid has long openly supported controlled immigration, arguing that it benefits Spain’s rapidly developing economy. The opposition People’s Party (PP) has criticized the government’s immigration policy.
The actions of Pedro Sánchez’s socialist camp have also been criticized by some Members of the European Parliament, including politicians from Poland, who argue that accepting such a large number of migrants is not only Spain’s issue, but a matter affecting all of Europe. Commenting on the decision, PiS MEP Jacek Ozdoba wrote bluntly about the dangers associated with it.
“The European Commission representative said that one in five illegal migrants will leave Europe. In reality, we are not discussing what you are doing in Spain. We are discussing how you are putting other European countries at risk! In Germany, 17% of the population are migrants, yet they account for 40% of crimes. In Sweden, 20% of the population accounts for 30% of crimes. If you want to take in these migrants — okay, but then leave the Schengen Area. You have no right to endanger other European countries! Do whatever you want in Spain, but then close your borders and neither let these illegal immigrants in nor out,” Ozdoba wrote on X following the migration debate.
The acceptance of foreigners was one of the topics discussed during the 9th Polish-Spanish Parliamentary Forum. The talks concluded with the adoption of a joint document confirming the willingness to further deepen cooperation between the two countries. After the meeting, Speaker of the Sejm Włodzimierz Czarzasty stated that Spain could serve as a model for Poland — particularly in its approach to migration.
“Poland could learn many things from Spain in this regard (…). Just imagine a country that accepts half a million migrants and treats these people as an opportunity rather than a threat. It is possible to achieve a situation in which budget revenues and the country’s development are greater because of this than they would be otherwise. This is a smart policy, and Spain is showing how it can be done — there is truly much to learn from it,” Czarzasty said.
It is worth noting that Spanish police officers have also warned about the dangers linked to Spain accepting huge numbers of migrants. “There is no possibility of verifying identities or the true origin [of migrants]. These measures favor mafias and saturate our borders,” warned the national police union Sindicato Unificado de Policía (SUP).