Afghan Taliban hold first, closed-door talks with EU on deportations

Key Points:

• A Taliban delegation held historic closed-door talks in Brussels with EU officials, focusing on diplomatic engagement and facilitating “dignified returns” of Afghan migrants to Afghanistan.
• The meeting, co-chaired by the European Commission and Sweden, involved 15 EU countries and aimed to ease deportations of rejected asylum seekers and criminals, despite none of the EU nations officially recognizing the Taliban government.
• Human rights groups and activists, including Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, condemned the talks, warning they risk legitimizing the Taliban and endangering Afghans by undermining human rights protections.
• The EU faces internal pressure to strengthen migration controls and increase deportations, with only 2% of Afghans ordered to return having complied, while Afghanistan continues to suffer from severe humanitarian, economic, and rights crises under Taliban rule.
• The meeting symbolizes a cautious diplomatic engagement amid the EU’s balancing act between migration management and upholding human rights, as Afghanistan remains isolated and in urgent need of aid.