The European Union hosted an official Taliban delegation in Brussels this week for the first time since the group returned to power in Afghanistan, according to reports Tuesday in The Guardian and AFP. The talks focused on returning rejected Afghan migrants from Europe and on restoring consular services for Afghan citizens. The delegation traveled after Belgium issued five one-day visas for its members.
Taliban foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said the agenda included possible renewed consular services for Afghans in the EU, a consular presence, and what he called the need for “confidence-building measures.” Behind the meeting is Europe’s growing push to tighten migration policy and speed up returns to countries of origin. The European Commission confirmed it has been in talks with Taliban authorities since January about expanding deportations of Afghans in Europe without legal status, mainly people convicted of serious crimes or deemed security threats.
The move triggered sharp criticism from human rights groups, lawmakers and activists, who argued that simply meeting the Taliban gives legitimacy to a regime accused of repressing women and committing grave human rights violations. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai said she was “shocked and deeply disturbed” by the invitation, adding that “the Taliban erased women and girls from public life.” European Parliament member Juan Fernando López Aguilar called the meeting “a total blow to the credibility of the European Union.”
EU officials stressed that the talks do not amount to formal recognition of the Taliban government, but reflect a practical need to deal with the de facto authorities in Afghanistan. EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner said this month that Europe has “no other choice” if it wants to advance the return of irregular migrants. EU figures show that between 2013 and 2024, about one million Afghan asylum applications were filed in EU countries, and roughly half were approved. Human rights organizations warn that returns to Afghanistan may breach Europe’s international obligations, citing UN findings of arbitrary arrests, torture and abuse of returnees, and a joint letter from 83 Afghan and international rights groups warning that Afghanistan is now “one of the most dangerous places in the world for women.”
