Catalan nationalist party Junts has announced it will file a formal complaint with European institutions over Spain’s migrant regularization process, arguing the measure excludes Catalan language requirements despite prior government promises to include them.
The party, led by Carles Puigdemont, stated it has instructed its legal services to prepare a denunciation before European institutions, claiming the regularization process approved by the Spanish government “violates various directives” and “marginalizes” the Catalan language as an integration criterion.
According to a press release issued by Junts on Friday, April 17, 2026, the party accuses the government of having “deceived” Catalans by announcing it would make Catalan a requirement for renewing residence permits after one year in the extraordinary regularization process, only for that condition to be absent from the final regulatory text published in the Official State Gazette (BOE).
Junts argues the approved decree excludes Catalan as a requirement for obtaining residence and only appears in an optional integration report in specific cases. The party further claims that individuals already working in Catalonia who are being regularized do not need to accredit any knowledge of the language, and that neither renewal procedures nor the ministry’s website are available in Catalan.
The party’s statement adds that the existence of a Council for Linguistic Policy is merely a “façade” and that agreements like the National Pact for the Language are “wet paper,” reiterating its longstanding criticism of what it perceives as insufficient protection for the Catalan language in public policy.
Spain’s government approved the extraordinary regularization measure on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, following a public hearing process and required reports. The regulation will take effect on April 16, 2026, allowing individuals to apply online or request in-person appointments at Social Security offices, post offices, or foreigner’s offices. Prior appointment will be mandatory for in-person processing starting April 20, 2026, and available until June 30, 2026.
Eligibility is limited to asylum seekers who applied before January 1, 2026, or individuals in an administrative irregular situation who arrived in Spain before that date. A key requirement is having resided in Spain since before January 1, 2026.
The measure aims to regularize the status of over half a million people currently residing in Spain without recognized rights, which the government describes as an “act of coherence and social justice” with full legal guarantees.
Junts had previously supported tightening requirements for the mass regularization of migrants, voting in favor of a Popular Party initiative in March 2026 to amend immigration law to require applicants to prove they have no criminal records in Spain or other countries where they previously lived, moving beyond simple sworn declarations.
The party’s legal action represents an escalation of its opposition to the regularization process, shifting from demanding stricter domestic requirements to challenging the measure at the European level over what it characterizes as the marginalization of a co-official language in integration criteria.
The development highlights ongoing tensions within Spain regarding language policy, immigration, and regional autonomy, particularly in Catalonia where linguistic preservation remains a central political issue.
As of the announcement date, no further details were provided regarding the specific European institutions to which the complaint would be submitted or the expected timeline for the legal process.
Junts encourages readers to follow official party communications for updates on this developing situation.
