Four Spanish MEPs from the European People's Party have asked the European Commission whether insufficient document checks during national regularisation processes risk undermining the integrity of the Schengen area and fuelling migrant smuggling networks. The written question, submitted on 9 July 2026, cites recent police operations and reports by the Spanish National Police warning of a rise in fake documents used to obtain residence permits.
The MEPs – Alma Ezcurra Almansa, Dolors Montserrat, Javier Zarzalejos, and Juan Ignacio Zoido Álvarez – point to the Commission's own recognition that document fraud is a threat to EU security, tackled through the FADO system and cooperation between Frontex and Europol. They argue that the risk is particularly acute during extraordinary regularisation processes, where insufficient checks can leave the door open to fraud or secondary movements.
whether the Commission agrees that weak document checks in national regularisation can compromise Schengen integrity and strengthen smuggling networks; whether cooperation between Member States, Frontex, and Europol needs to be ramped up to prevent fraud; and what best practices the Commission recommends to Member States for preventing and detecting document fraud in procedures for granting residence permits, including extraordinary regularisation.
the MEPs are pushing for tighter EU-level coordination and stricter oversight of national regularisation schemes, reflecting a security-first approach that prioritises Schengen integrity over flexible migration pathways. The question implicitly challenges any national regularisation process that relies on self-declaration or light-touch verification, suggesting that such processes create vulnerabilities exploited by organised crime.
The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks. Its answer will signal whether it shares the MEPs' concerns and whether it is prepared to recommend specific measures – such as mandatory cross-checking of documents against EU databases or enhanced Frontex support – that would effectively constrain Member States' discretion in designing regularisation programmes.