EU holds first Brussels talks with Taliban on deportations

Taliban officials held closed-door talks with European Union staff and member states in Brussels on Tuesday, the first such visit to the EU capital by a delegation from Afghanistan’s de facto government and a meeting sharply criticized by human rights advocates.

The talks focused on diplomatic services and the “dignified return” of Afghans in Europe, according to Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a spokesperson for the Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs who led the five-member delegation. Balkhi called the visit “historic,” saying it was the first time a delegation from the Islamic Emirate had visited the EU and held talks with member states in Brussels.

He said the agenda included “restarting broad-range consular services for Afghans in EU zone,” as well as “trust-building measures, consular presence and dignified return process.” Al Jazeera reported that EU officials and 15 EU member states attended the meeting, which was co-chaired by European Commission services and Sweden at an undisclosed location.

No EU country recognizes the Taliban government, which returned to power in 2021 after the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces and the collapse of the Western-backed Afghan government. The meeting did not take place in official Belgian or EU buildings. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said Belgium does not recognize the Taliban but would comply with EU requests to issue visas under its role as host to EU institutions.

“Belgium cannot confer legitimacy on a regime accused of serious human rights violations,” Prévot said. “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.”

The Taliban delegation received visas after security screening with limited territorial validity, allowing 24 hours in Belgium and no access to other countries in the Schengen border-free travel zone, NPR reported.

The European Commission has described the engagement as technical, not diplomatic recognition. Commission spokesperson Markus Lammert said the contacts were requested by EU member states to coordinate returns, initially targeting criminals and people deemed security threats. “These are technical-level contacts,” he said. “This does not mean recognition.”

The Brussels meeting followed a January meeting in Kabul, where the Commission sent a mission. The EU also maintains staff in Afghanistan.

Afghans are among the largest groups seeking asylum in the European Union. Pressure has grown among EU governments to speed deportations of people whose asylum claims are rejected or who commit crimes. In October, 20 of the bloc’s 27 member states signed a letter calling for stronger migration policies, including more deportations. Belgian Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt, who helped draft the letter, said then that only 2% of the 22,870 Afghans ordered to return from the EU had done so.

Rights groups condemned Tuesday’s meeting, saying cooperation on deportations could put Afghans at risk and weaken the EU’s human rights stance.

“Any engagement with the Taliban needs to prioritize 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.”

Malala Yousafzai, the Afghan activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, wrote on X that she was “deeply shaken” by the talks. “Europe must not legitimise a regime responsible for one of the worst human rights crises in the world. Any engagement with the Taliban must begin and end with the rights of Afghan women and girls,” she said.

Since taking power, Taliban authorities have imposed severe restrictions on women and girls, including bans on education beyond primary school and work in most professions, along with strict rules on public dress and limits on freedom of movement and expression.

Afghanistan is also facing a worsening humanitarian situation. NPR reported that about 3 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan and Iran in the past year, largely through forced repatriations, adding pressure to a country already hit by food shortages, economic crisis and sanctions.