EU Holds First Closed-Door Talks With Taliban On Afghan Deportations
EU staff met a five-member Taliban delegation in closed-door talks in Brussels on June 23, 2026 to discuss restarting consular services and procedures for deporting Afghans from Europe.[1]
The delegation was led by Taliban spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi.[1] Belgium issued the delegates limited-territory Schengen visas valid for 24 hours and only in Belgium, and it stressed that hosting the meeting did not amount to recognition.[1]
After the Taliban retook power in August 2021, the EU and member states severed diplomatic ties and halted most returns of rejected Afghan asylum seekers. Germany resumed deportations of convicted Afghan nationals in August 2024 via Qatar and carried out more flights in 2025. In October 2025, 19 EU states plus Norway urged the European Commission to create an EU-level mechanism to return rejected Afghans, and the Commission confirmed exploratory technical contacts with Taliban authorities that month. EU and Belgian officials made preparatory trips to Kabul in January 2026, and the Commission sent a formal invitation in May for the Brussels technical meeting. In 2025, Afghans filed 63,830 first-time asylum applications in the EU, about 9.5 to 10 percent of the bloc's total.
Human Rights Watch and Malala Yousafzai criticized the talks, saying cooperation on deportations would undermine EU human-rights commitments and could endanger Afghans.[1]
The mainstream summary does not mention the significant discrepancy between the number of return orders issued to Afghan nationals and the actual returns recorded. In 2023, EU countries issued 23,515 return orders but saw only 65 returns to Afghanistan, highlighting the challenges and complexities surrounding deportation efforts. This gap suggests that while the EU is pushing for deportations, the practical implementation remains severely limited, a nuance that is critical to understanding the situation. Furthermore, the summary overlooks the broader context of EU policy shifts, as reports indicate that the European Commission's meeting with the Taliban was driven by pressure from 20 EU member states seeking concrete pathways for deportations, reflecting a shift in immigration enforcement and political realignment across Europe since the Taliban's return to power in 2021. These dynamics underscore the urgency and contentious nature of the discussions that took place in Brussels, which were not merely about deportations but also tied to the EU's evolving asylum policies amid rising migration pressures from Afghanistan.[2][3]
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📊 Relevant Data
In 2025, Afghans submitted 63,830 first-time asylum applications in the EU, accounting for about 9.5-10% of the EU total.
Asylum applications - annual statistics — European Commission / Eurostat
In 2023, EU countries issued 23,515 return orders to Afghan nationals but recorded only 65 returns to Afghanistan that year.
In Q4 2025, Afghans ranked fourth among nationalities ordered to leave EU territory, with 4,010 such orders issued.
Returns of irregular migrants - quarterly statistics — European Commission / Eurostat
📌 Key Facts
- On June 23, 2026, EU staff held closed-door talks in Brussels with a five-member Taliban delegation led by spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi.
- The agenda included restarting consular services for Afghans in the EU and establishing procedures for "dignified" returns of Afghans from Europe.
- Belgium issued the delegates limited-territorial Schengen visas valid for 24 hours only in Belgium and emphasized that hosting the meeting does not imply recognition of the Taliban.
- Human Rights Watch and Malala Yousafzai criticized the talks, saying cooperation on deportations undermines EU human-rights commitments and risks endangering Afghans.
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