EU Holds Rare Talks with Taliban Delegation in Brussels on Migrant Returns

The first EU-Taliban meeting was held in Afghanistan in January when the Commission sent a mission to Kabul.

A delegation from Afghanistan's Taliban government is set to hold rare closed-door talks with European Union officials in Brussels on Tuesday. The discussions are expected to focus on the return of Afghan nationals from Europe, marking an unusual engagement between the bloc and a regime that none of its 27 member states formally recognises.

The meeting comes as several EU governments seek to accelerate deportations of asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected, as well as individuals deemed security risks or convicted of serious crimes.

According to EU officials, the talks were organised in response to requests from member states pressing for stronger cooperation on migrant returns.

A five-member Taliban delegation, which includes foreign ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi, is attending the discussions.

The visit represents a rare diplomatic opening for the Taliban, which has remained largely isolated internationally since returning to power in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US-led forces in 2021.

European Commission spokesperson Markus Lammert said the talks stemmed from demands by a majority of EU countries for technical contacts on returns. "They had asked the Commission to coordinate such technical contacts on returns," Lammert said. "Member states are looking into ways to return persons who have committed serious crimes and who are possibly a security threat."

The meeting follows a January visit by EU officials to Kabul, where the bloc maintains a limited presence despite not recognising the Taliban government.

Belgian foreign minister Maxime Prevot stressed that facilitating the visit did not amount to recognition of the Taliban administration. "Belgium cannot confer legitimacy on a regime accused of serious human rights violations," he said in a statement. "Making a meeting possible in the framework of our host-state policy does not amount to recognition, does not amount to legitimacy, and does not constitute an invitation by 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 access to other countries in the Schengen travel zone.

The talks are taking place against a backdrop of mounting political pressure across Europe to tighten migration policies. Twenty EU member states signed a letter last October calling for stronger measures to increase deportations and strengthen border controls.

Belgian migration minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt, one of the proponents of the initiative, argued at the time that Europe needed a firmer approach to migration management.

EU figures show that only around 2 per cent of the 22,870 Afghans ordered to leave the bloc have actually returned.

Human rights groups, however, have strongly criticised the meeting, warning that it risks legitimising a government accused of widespread abuses while potentially exposing Afghans to danger. "Any engagement with the Taliban needs to prioritise protecting human rights and accountability, not deporting people to danger there," said Fereshta Abbasi, a researcher at Human Rights Watch. "EU countries are undermining their credibility by condemning Taliban abuses and pursuing accountability on one hand, while cooperating with the Taliban to forcibly return Afghans on the other."

Amnesty International also condemned the discussions. Eve Geddie, director of Amnesty International's European Institutions Office, said it was inappropriate to consider deportations given the worsening situation in Afghanistan. "The desperate scenes of people, including EU staff, fleeing Afghanistan are a recent memory. It is unconscionable that the EU would now try and deport people to Afghanistan, which has only become more dangerous in the meantime," she said.

Since taking power, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on women and girls, including bans on secondary and higher education, limits on employment opportunities and strict rules governing public behaviour. These policies have led most Western governments to withhold formal recognition of the administration.

At the same time, Afghanistan is grappling with a deep humanitarian crisis. The country has absorbed millions of returnees from neighbouring Pakistan and Iran over the past year while facing economic hardship, food shortages and international sanctions.