The first meeting between the European Union and the Taliban was held in Afghanistan last January, when the Commission sent a mission to Kabul.
A delegation from the Afghan Taliban government is scheduled to hold rare closed-door talks with European Union officials in Brussels on Tuesday. Discussions are expected to focus on the return of Afghan citizens from Europe, marking an unusual clash between the bloc and a regime that is not officially recognized by any of its 27 member states.The meeting comes as several EU governments seek to speed up deportations of asylum seekers whose claims have been rejected, as well as individuals considered a security risk or convicted of serious crimes. According to EU officials, the talks were organized in response to requests from member states pressing for stronger cooperation on the return of migrants.A five-member Taliban delegation, including Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi, is attending the discussions.
The visit represents a rare diplomatic opportunity for the Taliban, which has remained largely isolated internationally since its return to power in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US-led forces in 2021.European Commission spokesman Markus Lammert said that the talks emerged from the demand of the majority of EU countries to hold technical contacts on returns.“They have asked UNHCR to coordinate such technical communications on returns,” Lammert said.
“Member states are examining ways to return persons who have committed serious crimes and who potentially pose a security threat.”The meeting follows a January visit by European Union officials to Kabul, where the bloc maintains a limited presence despite not recognizing the Taliban government.Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot stressed that facilitating the visit does not amount to recognition of the Taliban administration.“Belgium cannot lend legitimacy to a regime accused of committing serious human rights violations,” he said in a statement. “Making the meeting possible within the framework of our host state policy does not amount to recognition, does not amount to legitimacy, and does not constitute an invitation from the Belgian government.”Members of the Taliban delegation were granted visas with limited territorial validity, allowing them to remain in Belgium for 24 hours without arriving to other countries in the Schengen travel area.The talks are taking place against the backdrop of mounting political pressure across Europe to tighten immigration policies. Twenty EU member states signed a letter last October calling for stronger measures to increase deportations and strengthen border controls.Belgian Immigration Minister Anneline van Bossuet, a supporter of the initiative, said at the time that Europe needed a tougher approach to managing migration.
EU figures show that only about 2 percent of the 22,870 Afghans ordered to leave the bloc have actually returned.However, human rights groups strongly criticized the meeting, warning that it risked legitimizing a government accused of widespread abuses, while potentially endangering Afghans.“Any engagement with the Taliban needs to prioritize human rights protection and accountability, not deporting people to danger there,” said Freshta Abbasi, a researcher at Human Rights Watch.
“EU countries are undermining their credibility by condemning Taliban abuses and seeking accountability on the one hand, while cooperating with the Taliban to forcibly return Afghans on the other.”Amnesty International also condemned the discussions. Eve Guede, Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office, said it was inappropriate to consider deportations given the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.“The desperate scenes of people, including EU staff, fleeing Afghanistan are a recent memory,” she said. “It is unconscionable for the EU to now try to deport people to Afghanistan, which has become more dangerous in the meantime.”Since seizing power, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on women and girls, including a ban on secondary and higher education, restrictions on job opportunities and strict rules governing public behaviour.
These policies have led most Western governments to withhold official recognition of the administration.At the same time, Afghanistan faces a deep humanitarian crisis. The country has absorbed millions of returnees from neighboring Pakistan and Iran over the past year while facing economic difficulties, food shortages and international sanctions.
