Brussels declares Spain under "migration pressure" and invites the rest of the EU states to help it
Aid from countries with lower immigration rates is not mandatory and will have to be negotiated by the state governments themselves.
BrusselsBrussels is requesting aid for European Union member states it considers to be "under migratory pressure" due to "disproportionate" arrivals of newcomers, such as Italy, Spain, Greece, and Cyprus. However, the European Commission's call for solidarity from countries facing a smaller influx of migrants and refugees is voluntary, and so far, wealthier and less affected countries, such as the Nordic countries or Germany, have been very reluctant to contribute financially or, especially, by taking in people arriving in the European Union. The aid could only be made effective from the middle of next year, when the full program will come into force. of the new EU Migration PactMember states that Brussels considers to meet all the requirements to receive it must formally request it. Furthermore, Brussels' proposal of the countries that should receive aid from the other member states must be approved by the Council of the EU, the body representing the member states themselves, and the European Parliament.
The so-called EU solidarity tool has three pillars: countries with less migratory pressure can take in migrants and refugees arriving in states with greater pressure; they can send them financial contributions; and finally, they can assist them with border security forces and resources of all kinds. States like Spain, for example, have the option of benefiting from all three points.
A pact lacking in solidarity
This section of the EU Migration Pact was precisely one of the most controversial and slowest to resolve in negotiations between member states. Southern European countries, such as France, Italy, Spain, and Greece, demanded that the solidarity mechanism Brussels is now calling for be mandatory, not voluntary. Ultimately, the intransigence of states with less migratory pressure, such as the Nordic and Eastern European countries, as well as Germany, forced the southern countries to concede. They now have no choice but to rely on the goodwill of European partners who categorically opposed accepting mandatory and predictable aid. In fact, following the European Commission's announcement this Tuesday, the next step is for member states to negotiate and decide how much and what type of aid they want to allocate to the countries with the greatest migratory pressure. Beyond the Mediterranean countries, Brussels also warns that a number of member states are at "risk" of experiencing "migratory pressure." This label includes France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Poland, among others. However, there is a group of European partners that, while not reaching the levels of Italy or Spain, are considered by the European Commission to be in a "significant migration situation" and, therefore, may contribute to a lesser extent to the solidarity mechanism. EU sources explain that, when classifying each country according to its level of migratory pressure, they have primarily considered the number of migrant entries and asylum applications in relation to the member state's population size and its gross domestic product (GDP).
Despite the warning, Brussels is also taking the opportunity to celebrate a reduction in the number of new arrivals to the European Union, one of the main issues that is always on the political agenda of European institutions and which is particularly exploited politically by the far right. According to data from the European Commission itself, between July 2024 and June 2025, irregular immigration entries into the European Union fell by 35%.
However, Brussels admits that the migration "challenge" "remains" for the European Union as a whole and also advocates for continuing to receive refugees from Ukraine. Furthermore, it warns of the "instrumentalization of migration" carried out by Russia and Belarus against the countries of the Eastern European bloc.