Principală — News — The Spanish gambit
The Spanish gambit
- Spain in 2005 “normalised” 600,000 irregular migrants. The move stopped short of granting EU citizenship but did give permanent residency and right to work, with Madrid at the time facing strong criticism for failing to consult EU colleagues.
- Poland at one point mooted offering citizenship to up to 1 million ethnic Poles left in Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan following post-World War II changes to its borders and Stalinist relocations.
- But Warsaw feared potential complications in its bid to join the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone. The final deal in 2007 – the right for ethnic Poles to apply for a “Polish Card” – limited rights to a refund of visa costs, access to healthcare and a cheap bus pass.
- “People still haven’t quite forgiven Spain. You see that in the little obstacles put in their way during day-to-day talks on immigration matters,” one EU diplomat said. “The EU institutions have a long memory.”
