EU Opens Talks With Taliban in Brussels Over Deportation of Afghan Migrants

The European Commission hosted a Taliban delegation in Brussels to negotiate the deportation of Afghan nationals who do not have the right to remain in European Union countries, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from human rights organizations. The meeting marks a significant and controversial shift in EU policy toward Afghanistan. Since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the militant Islamist movement has not been recognized as a legitimate government by any EU member state. Despite this, the European Commission — the EU's executive body responsible for implementing bloc-wide policy — opened direct talks with Taliban representatives in pursuit of agreements that would allow member states to return Afghan migrants and asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected. Human rights activists reacted with strong opposition to the discussions, arguing that returning Afghans to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan puts them at serious risk of persecution, particularly women, journalists, former government workers, and members of minority groups. Since retaking power, the Taliban has imposed severe restrictions on women's rights, banned girls from secondary and higher education, and carried out reported reprisals against those associated with the previous Western-backed government. Critics warn that any deportation deal struck with the Taliban would effectively legitimize the regime while endangering the lives of those returned.