Taliban representatives met European Union officials in Brussels on Tuesday in the first official Taliban visit ever held on EU soil. The closed-door meeting, held outside formal EU institutions at an undisclosed location, focused on consular services and the possible return of Afghan migrants from Europe to Afghanistan.
The Afghan delegation was led by Abdul Qahar Balkhi, the Taliban foreign ministry spokesman. EU officials said 15 of the bloc’s 27 member states took part, and described the talks as technical, centered on ways to facilitate the return of Afghans who no longer have the right to stay in Europe, including people convicted of serious crimes or deemed security threats. The Taliban called the talks “historic” and said they were part of confidence-building efforts.
The meeting immediately drew sharp criticism from human rights groups, lawmakers and some EU states, who said it amounted to an alarming step toward legitimizing the Taliban. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai said she was “shocked and concerned” by the EU’s engagement with the group. European parliamentarians called the move a “red line” and an erosion of the EU’s credibility.
The backlash comes amid growing pressure inside Europe to tighten migration enforcement and speed up deportations of rejected asylum seekers. EU data show around 1 million Afghans have applied for asylum since 2013, and roughly half were approved, but only a small share of those ordered to leave are actually returned to Afghanistan. Critics warned that cooperation with the Taliban could amount to a creeping normalization of the regime, while aid groups said mass returns could worsen Afghanistan’s severe humanitarian crisis, food shortages and economic strain.
