Key facts
- EU officials and representatives from 15 member states met with a Taliban delegation in Brussels.
- The meeting aimed to discuss the deportation of Afghan migrants, particularly those with no right to stay in the EU.
- Belgium issued single-day, Belgium-only visas to the Taliban delegation.
- The European Commission described the engagement as technical and focused on migrant returns, not political recognition.
- Human rights groups and some European lawmakers criticized the meeting, calling it a 'shameful chapter' and warning of normalization.
- Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell emphasized the need to deport individuals who have committed serious crimes.
Officials from the European Commission and 15 member states met discreetly with a Taliban delegation in Brussels to discuss accelerating the deportation of Afghan migrants. Belgium issued single-day, Belgium-only visas for the delegation, restricting their movement. The European Commission characterized the talks as strictly technical, focusing on the return of irregular migrants without granting political recognition to the Taliban regime, which took power in 2021 and is widely condemned for human rights violations.
Despite the Commission's framing, critics, including progressive lawmakers and civil society organizations, have decried the meeting as a 'shameful chapter' that risks normalizing an authoritarian regime. Socialist MEP Cecilia Strada stated the gathering grants legitimacy to a regime that 'tramples on the rights of women and girls,' while Green MEP Saskia Bricmont called it 'unacceptable' for a regime that 'systematically oppresses women, suppresses all opposition, denies fundamental freedoms.'
Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell defended the engagement, stating that deporting criminals is essential for Swedish interests and currently not possible due to the Afghan authorities' non-cooperation. He noted that approximately 200 Afghan nationals in Sweden are awaiting deportation after convictions for serious crimes. The European Council on Refugees and Exiles has stated that Afghanistan cannot be considered a safe country for return due to the severe human rights situation and lack of effective legal protection.
The EU's strategy aims to increase the return rate of irregular migrants, which currently stands at 29 percent. Deportations of Afghans have been particularly challenging, with only a 2 percent effective return rate in the first nine months of last year out of over 14,000 ordered to leave. Meanwhile, Afghan arrivals into the EU and asylum applications continue, though the majority of displaced Afghans are estimated to reside in neighboring countries like Iran and Pakistan. The meeting follows months of technical contacts and a prior Commission delegation visit to Kabul in January.