Brussels Alarmed Over Populist ‘Threat’ in Spain Due to Immigration Tensions

The European Commission is “alarmed” by a heating up of debates over immigration in Spain, provoked by rising populist leaders, El País reported Monday.

Meanwhile, a “chill” runs through the headquarters of the European Commission at the possibility that another EU member could fall prey to a populist discourse that is very difficult to extinguish once it spreads, the newspaper warned.

The report suggests that a populist current is infiltrating Spanish conservative waters, especially those of the Popular Party (PP) and Ciudadaños, the party of Alberto Rivera, which has progressive leaders and pundits in a panic.

“We cannot afford to lose Spain,” said an unnamed high-ranking official cited by El País, who complained of the current fragility of the EU, with its limping Franco-German axis and partners such as Italy, Holland, Poland, and Hungary whose governments are skeptical to the EU or openly dissenting.

“In the current situation, Spain, due to its demographic and economic weight, is a fundamental piece to give strength to the Europeanist bloc,” the official said.

Brussels’ nervousness began on on July 29, the paper states, when the new president of the PP, Pablo Casado Blanco, tweeted that Spain has no room for all the immigrants who may want to come.

“It is not possible to provide papers for everyone, nor is a welfare state sustainable that can absorb the millions of Africans who want to come to Europe. We have to say it, even though it is politically incorrect,” he said, appealing for sincerity.

No es posible que haya papeles para todos, ni es sostenible un estado de bienestar que pueda absorber a los millones de africanos que quieren venir a Europa y tenemos que decirlo, aunque sea políticamente incorrecto. Seamos sinceros y responsables con esta cuestión. https://t.co/q8p9qxbSFG

— Pablo Casado Blanco (@pablocasado_) July 29, 2018

The tweet has been interpreted to indicate that the PP may intend to turn the migrant crisis into one of the central axes of its opposition to the Government of Pedro Sánchez.

“Since the Aquarius there has been a shift of the leader of the PP to transform the migration issue into a crisis,” said Sergio Carrera, a researcher at CEPS, a Brussels-based institute.

“If we follow the populists, if we adopt their language, the citizens will end up voting for the original version,” European Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulous told El País.

“The traditional parties must defend their territory and remain loyal to their principles,” he said.

For the first time since the migrant crisis broke in 2014, Spain leads European nations in 2018 for the reception of migrants, topping past leaders Greece and Italy.

Its new position as immigration leader has put Spain’s socialist government in a difficult position, giving more leverage to the country’s growing populist movement.

Follow Thomas D. Williams on Twitter Follow @tdwilliamsrome