Head of Junta backs understanding of Spanish language and culture proposal for foreign residents in Spain

President of the regional government of Andalucía (the Junta) Juanma Moreno has backed leader of the Partido Popular conservative party (PP) Alberto Núñez Feijóo's proposal to make knowing Spanish a requirement for residency. On Monday, Moreno warned of the "pull effect" that subsidies have on foreigners. The Junta's president's suggestion was preceded by Feijóo's proposal to establish a special visa that prioritises immigrants who "best understand Spanish culture".

Moreno cited the immigration "models" applied in countries such as Australia and Canada where, "in one way or another, migration is encouraged, motivated and compensated when done in an orderly manner", by foreigners who work and respect "the constitutional values" of the country.

Moreno stated that this initiative "is going to be developed in October" with precision and by following successful examples. According to the Junta's president, the state of immigration in Spain right now is "uncontrolled", which creates a negative view of foreigners among the majority of the local population - something that, he warned, is happening "across Europe".

Moreno used the opportunity to highlight the main difference on the matter between the conservative party (PP) and hard-right Vox: the former is "in favour of regulated, organised and planned migration", while the latter "does not want migration of any type and in any way".

For this reason, Moreno proposed studying various models and assessing "where the Spanish government has failed" in terms of border control and deportation.

Moreno, however, also said that immigration is "necessary" in Spain, because there is a "negative birth rate" in the country and work sectors such as construction, transport and agriculture are suffering a labour "shortage". For this reason, the president of the Junta stressed, it is important to integrate immigrants into Spanish society. When asked "what integration means", Moreno said that it implies "acceptance of the constitutional values" of the country migrants choose.

Within the requirements, Moreno added knowledge of the official language. "If you don't know the language, you are not going to be able not only to integrate socially but also to work," Moreno said. According to him, lack of acceptance and language skills would lead to "social, political and institutional issues".

Moreno also drew attention to some "data from the tax authorities" that shows that around "552,000 foreigners have some kind of social income without ever having worked" while living in Spain. Of them, "120,000 receive the minimum living income without ever having contributed ".

Moreno warned that this could have a cumulative effect "because, in the end, all these people receive subsidies simply and exclusively for getting registered", which "is done almost automatically".

Moreno explained that "social rights" are obtained as soon as someone registers, which ends up generating "an economic cost" for the country. The Junta's president stated that when social rights "are not well distributed, they generate unease in the most vulnerable social strata", which then translates into alignment with extremist and populist views.

"Therefore, I believe that we must put all of this in order to avoid this growing xenophobia that we have in our country, as well as across the Western world and Europe," Moreno said.

The Andalusian president stated that "migrants cannot be criminalised, as Vox is doing", because "Spain is in need of migrants" who can contribute to the country's development. He described "well-managed immigration" as "an opportunity for economic growth", while the opposite "is a source of division, precariousness and present and future problems". Moreno also defended Andalucía's reputation as "a very supportive region", although there has recently been widespread opposition to the creation of municipal centres for minors that come to Spain without a parent or a guardian.