I agree 100% with Gingerbread man. Been there, done that as well.
1) No cadet scheme in Europe is free in the long run, not even the initial costs. As Ginger said, they can be dressed up in different ways, they will all be similar when you know and understand the numbers when you join.
2) I am not going to discuss here further about the MPL-ATPL, but it is a fact that MPL holders with 250h (let alone 1000h) have moved from one airline to another, even outside the UK. And yes, BA were looking into the MPL, and yes, it is possible to run MPLs in Spain, so it might happen in the future.