EU and Taliban Discuss Afghanistan Deportations in Brussels
Afghanistan deportations took center stage in Brussels as the EU met Taliban delegates, triggering rights concerns and migration pressure.
BRUSSELS — EU and Taliban Discuss Afghanistan Deportations in Brussels after a closed-door meeting on Tuesday that focused on consular services and what Taliban officials called “dignified returns.” The talks took place at a secret location, according to Taliban spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi.
The meeting matters far beyond the room where it happened. Several European Union governments want Brussels to move faster on the return of Afghans whose asylum claims were rejected or who are considered security risks, while rights groups warn that deeper contact with the Taliban could endanger returnees and weaken Europe’s human rights stance.
Taliban calls Brussels meeting historic
Balkhi said the visit was the first time a Taliban delegation, which the group calls the “Islamic Emirate,” met EU representatives in the Belgian capital. He said the five-member delegation discussed reopening consular services for Afghans living across the bloc, along with representation for documents and the process for what he described as “dignified” returns.
That language is deliberate. The Taliban want technical contact that looks normal enough to support travel papers, border procedures and recognition of documents, even as no EU member state has formally recognized their rule. Brussels gives them access to the heart of Europe without crossing that line. Not yet.
Belgium, which hosts EU institutions and NATO headquarters, has a special role in making such meetings possible. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said Belgium does not recognize the Taliban as a legitimate government, but can still issue visas to delegates under host-state arrangements if the EU asks.
“Belgium cannot give legitimacy to a regime accused of serious human rights violations,” Prévot said in a statement. He added that facilitating a meeting under host-state rules is not the same as formal recognition.
EU states push for more Afghanistan deportations
The European Commission said the talks followed pressure from most member states. In October, 20 of the EU’s 27 countries signed a letter calling for tighter migration rules, including faster Afghanistan deportations. Commission spokesperson Markus Lammert said the contact with the Taliban remains technical.
“This is technical contact. It does not mean recognition,” Lammert said. He said the initial focus is on offenders and people security authorities view as dangerous.
That line is politically sensitive. Several governments face domestic pressure to show they can enforce deportation orders, especially after asylum systems became more stretched in recent years. But Afghanistan remains one of the hardest destinations for forced returns, both legally and practically.
Belgian Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt put the problem in hard numbers. She said only 2 percent of the 22,870 Afghans ordered to leave across the EU actually returned. That gap has fuelled frustration inside capitals that want a more workable system.
The figures also explain why Brussels is being pulled into this fight. If return orders cannot be enforced, governments lose confidence in the system. If they are enforced without safeguards, they risk sending people into danger. That tension now sits at the center of EU migration policy.
Why the meeting matters for Afghans
The immediate impact falls on Afghans living in Europe, especially those with rejected asylum claims or pending removal orders. For them, the Brussels talks are not abstract diplomacy. They could shape whether deportation papers move faster, whether consular documents are issued, and whether EU states coordinate more closely with Taliban authorities.
It also matters for families and communities already under pressure. Many Afghans in Europe fear that any technical engagement with the Taliban could become a back door to broader cooperation, even if Brussels insists it is not recognition. One meeting can shift the tone. That matters.
The stakes rise further because Afghanistan itself remains unstable. Around 3 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan and Iran in the past year, many of them forcibly. The country is still dealing with food shortages, a weak economy and sanctions that have tightened daily life.
Returning more people into that environment raises obvious risks. Critics say the EU cannot treat deportation as a paperwork issue when the receiving country is under severe humanitarian strain and the Taliban continue to restrict basic freedoms.
Rights groups warn of danger
Human Rights Watch criticized the Brussels meeting and said talks without strong human rights conditions would only weaken EU credibility. HRW researcher Fereshta Abbasi said the approach is dangerous because it puts Afghans at risk in Europe and after deportation.
“Any engagement with the Taliban should prioritize human rights protection and accountability — not deporting people to danger,” Abbasi said.
Malala Yousafzai also condemned the contact, saying she was “deeply disturbed” that the EU was speaking with the Taliban. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate argued that Europe should not legitimize a regime responsible for one of the world’s worst human rights crises. In her view, any contact must begin and end with the rights of Afghan women and girls.
That criticism hits especially hard because the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on women and girls since taking power in 2021. Girls are barred from schooling beyond primary level, women are excluded from most professions, and public life is tightly controlled. For EU officials, that creates a direct clash between migration enforcement and the bloc’s stated values.
The European Commission has not provided further details about the Brussels meeting and has declined multiple requests for more information. For now, the Taliban are widening their diplomatic access in Europe without formal recognition, while member states continue to push for a system that can turn deportation orders into actual returns. The number that keeps driving the debate is still stark: 22,870 Afghans ordered to leave, and just 2 percent returned.
