EU and Taliban Discuss Afghanistan Deportations in Brussels

BRUSSELS — A Taliban delegation met EU staff on Tuesday in Brussels in a closed-door session on consular services and Afghanistan deportations described as “dignified returns.” The meeting took place at a secret location, Taliban spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi said.

The talks matter because several European Union countries are pressing Brussels to speed up the return of Afghans whose asylum claims were rejected or who are seen as security risks. At the same time, the meeting triggered sharp criticism from human rights groups, which say the talks could put Afghans at risk both in Europe and after they are sent back home.

Taliban says it was the first meeting in Brussels

Balkhi called the visit historic, saying it was the first time a delegation from the “Islamic Emirate” had met EU representatives in the Belgian capital. He said the five-member team discussed reopening consular services for Afghans across the EU, including consular representation and the process for “dignified” returns.

Brussels is a sensitive stage. It is home to the EU institutions and NATO headquarters. So this was not just about immigration paperwork. There was a political signal too. The Taliban are still not officially recognized by any EU member state, but limited contact is slowly opening through technical channels and careful diplomatic visits.

Belgian officials, who host the EU institutions, also weighed in. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said Belgium does not recognize the Taliban as a legitimate government. But if the EU asks, Belgium still issues visas to Taliban delegates under host-state policy.

“Belgium cannot give legitimacy to a regime accused of serious human rights violations,” Prévot said in a statement. He stressed that facilitating a meeting under host-state rules is not the same as formal recognition.

Pressure for Afghanistan deportations grows inside the EU

The European Commission said the meeting came after pressure from most member states. Twenty of the EU’s 27 countries signed a letter in October asking for tighter migration rules, including more Afghanistan deportations. According to Commission spokesperson Markus Lammert, the talks with the Taliban remain technical.

“This is technical contact. It does not mean recognition,” Lammert said. He added that the initial focus is on offenders and people security authorities consider dangerous.

Belgium provided some numbers that show why the issue is heating up. Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt said only 2 percent of the 22,870 Afghans ordered to leave across the EU actually returned. That figure has pushed some governments to demand a tougher and faster system.

The problem is that deportation routes run straight into Afghanistan’s fragile humanitarian situation. Around 3 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan and Iran in the past year, many of them forcibly. The country is still grappling with food shortages, a weak economy, and sanctions that squeeze daily life.

Rights groups warn of risks to women and returnees

Human rights groups immediately targeted the Brussels meeting. Human Rights Watch said talks with the Taliban without strong human rights conditions would only weaken the EU’s credibility. HRW researcher Fereshta Abbasi said this approach is dangerous because it puts Afghans at risk, both in Europe and after deportation.

“Any engagement with the Taliban should prioritize human rights protection and accountability — not deporting people to danger,” Abbasi said.

Criticism also came from activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai. She said she was “deeply disturbed” that the EU was speaking with the Taliban. In her view, Europe should not legitimize a regime responsible for one of the world’s worst human rights crises. Any contact with the Taliban, she said, must begin and end with the rights of Afghan women and girls.

Since the Taliban seized power in 2021, the new Afghan authorities have imposed strict restrictions on women and girls. They are barred from schooling beyond primary level, restricted from working in most professions, and tightly regulated on dress in public. That makes any cooperation with the Taliban a moral and security issue at the same time.

The EU has not offered further details about the meeting. The European Commission has declined several requests for more information. For now, the Taliban are slowly widening their diplomatic access in Europe, even without formal recognition. One meeting does not change the political map. But the 22,870 Afghans ordered to return, combined with a compliance rate of just 2 percent, show the issue will keep pressuring Brussels in the months ahead.

Summary: The EU-Taliban meeting in Brussels focused on consular access and Afghanistan deportations. Critics say any cooperation must not endanger rights. The next test will be whether EU states push for a formal returns mechanism or hold the line on human rights conditions.