In a rare and controversial trip to Europe, a Taliban delegation has met EU officials in Brussels to discuss increasing the return of failed asylum-seekers to Afghanistan — a move that has drawn fierce condemnation from human rights advocates.
The EU and its member states have not recognised the Taliban government since the group regained power five years ago, following two decades of conflict against a government supported by a US-led NATO force.
Even so, EU officials have argued that tightly scoped contacts with Afghanistan’s “de facto authorities” are required to carry out deportations — particularly in cases involving failed asylum applicants who have committed crimes or are considered a threat.
A spokesperson for the European Commission said representatives from the commission and 15 EU countries took part in the Brussels talks, which followed a similar meeting held in Kabul in January.
“The commission services and Sweden co-chaired a technical-level meeting today in Brussels with technical-level representatives of the de facto authorities of Afghanistan responsible for return and readmission,” the commission spokesperson said.
Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry portrayed the agenda as broader, pointing to discussions about a possible consular presence in the EU, restarting consular services for Afghans living there, and what it called “the need for trust-building measures”.
The discussions offered “hope to build positive momentum to safeguard consular rights of Afghans residing abroad,” the ministry spokesperson, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, said.
However, a letter from the commission addressed to Mr Balkhi said the purpose of the talks was narrower, stating they would focus “on the return and readmission of Afghan nationals without a right to stay in the EU”.
Watch: Malala Yousafzai criticises EU for meeting Taliban delegation
The EU has invited Taliban officials to Brussels to discuss a migration deal — and today I am shaken and deeply disturbed by this.
This is the same Taliban that banned girls from secondary schools and forced them into marriage. The same Taliban that, earlier this month.
The delegation’s presence in Brussels prompted a backlash from rights organisations and several European politicians, who warned that engagement with the Taliban risks endangering Afghans and weakening principles the EU says it stands for.
“Europe must not legitimise a regime responsible for one of the worst human rights crises in the world,” Afghan Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai said in a post on X.
Critics say the dispute is not only about symbolism, but also about what could follow if returns accelerate.
“The most obvious and dangerous consequence is that Afghans will be returned from the EU, and will face persecution from the Taliban after their arrival,” said Jeff Crisp, Head of Policy Development and Evaluation at UNHCR and visiting fellow at the University of Oxford.
Belgium’s Foreign Ministry issued a visa allowing the Afghan representatives to enter the country for one day only, and limited their stay to Belgian territory — instead of granting the normal freedom of movement across the EU’s Schengen zone.
Since their return to power, the Taliban have progressively tightened restrictions, curbing women’s freedom of movement, blocking girls from education beyond primary school and enforcing morality rules that narrow free expression and limit access to work.
