The European Commission hosted a five-member Taliban delegation in Brussels on Tuesday for technical talks on returning Afghan nationals, the first such meeting on EU soil since the group took power in 2021. The session, co-chaired by Sweden and Commission services, followed a January EU visit to Kabul and was requested by 20 member states that last October urged coordinated action to accelerate deportations of rejected asylum seekers, especially those convicted of serious crimes or deemed security threats. Belgium issued the Taliban representatives one-day visas restricted to its territory.

EU officials stressed the engagement did not constitute recognition. Commission spokesman Markus Lammert said working contacts with Afghanistan’s “de facto authorities” were a practical necessity and “in no way” implied legitimacy. Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner had earlier argued there was “no other option” but to talk to the Taliban on returns. Belgium’s government, facilitating the visit under host-state obligations, insisted that granting visas did not confer recognition, though Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot publicly disapproved. The meeting drew sharp condemnation from human rights groups: Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International warned it could legitimise a regime accused of gender persecution and endanger returnees. Twenty-eight MEPs signed a letter denouncing the talks as a breach of EU red lines against normalisation. The Taliban delegation, according to spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi, sought to broaden the agenda to include consular services and “trust-building measures,” indicating that cooperation on returns may be tied to diplomatic concessions.

The talks reflect mounting political pressure within Europe to tighten migration policies. EU data shows that only about 2 per cent of the nearly 23,000 Afghans issued return orders in 2024 actually left the bloc. While EU law permits deportation of individuals convicted of serious crimes or posing security threats, the absence of formal ties with Kabul has hindered enforcement. The Commission, acting as coordinator, aims to establish a technical framework for returns, though it emphasised that actual deportations remain a national competence. Viewed from member-state capitals, the meeting is a pragmatic step to address unenforced expulsion orders, but critics in the European Parliament and civil society argue it undermines the EU’s human rights commitments.

Afghanistan faces a severe humanitarian crisis, with the UN World Food Programme reporting over 17 million people—one-third of the population—food insecure. Since 2021, the Taliban have banned girls from secondary education, restricted women’s employment and movement, and enforced morality laws limiting free expression. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for senior Taliban leaders for gender-based persecution. The Brussels meeting, while described as technical, has drawn accusations that the EU is contradicting its own condemnations of Taliban abuses. The Commission confirmed that representatives from 15 member states attended, but no concrete outcomes were immediately disclosed. Further technical contacts are expected, though political controversy is likely to intensify as deportation flights are prepared.