KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The European Union is preparing to invite Taliban officials to Brussels for technical talks on the deportation of Afghan migrants from Europe, AFP reported, citing official sources familiar with the matter.
A letter is expected to be sent imminently to Kabul to schedule the meeting in the Belgian capital, the news agency said. The visit, coordinated with Sweden, would build on two prior trips by European officials to Afghanistan to address the same issue.
No date has been confirmed for the proposed talks.
“EU officials are currently working on a potential follow-up meeting at a technical level in Brussels with Afghanistan’s de facto authorities,” an EU executive spokesperson told AFP.
According to the report, the proposed discussions would focus on practical and logistical aspects of deportations, including travel documentation, passport issuance, identity verification, and coordination of deportation flights.
The initiative comes as several European governments tighten migration policies and seek ways to return rejected asylum seekers and migrants with criminal convictions to Afghanistan. AFP said around 20 EU member states are actively exploring mechanisms for deportations, despite the absence of formal diplomatic recognition of the Taliban administration.
Several countries reportedly urged the EU in an October letter to advance diplomatic and operational solutions to facilitate returns. The European Commission spokesperson said a technical meeting had already taken place in Kabul in January 2026 and that the bloc was continuing discussions jointly with Sweden.
The EU Commission has previously confirmed that technical contacts with the Taliban have taken place, but has not formally confirmed any invitation for Taliban representatives to travel to Brussels.
The reported plan has triggered strong criticism from EU lawmakers, human rights organizations, aid groups, and UN experts.
European Parliament member Hannah Neumann warned against any form of engagement with the Taliban, writing on X: “EU officials rolling out the red carpet for the Taliban in Brussels.” She described linking recognition or cooperation to deportation arrangements as “a recipe for disaster” and called deportations to Afghanistan not only a humanitarian failure but a “strategic mistake” that could strengthen the Taliban’s grip on power.
UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan Richard Bennett expressed concern that returns could violate the principle of non-refoulement, citing widespread abuses under Taliban rule, especially against women, journalists, human rights defenders, and former government officials.
Aid groups highlighted the dire conditions awaiting returnees. “Deporting Afghans back to a country where almost half of the population cannot feed themselves is not a migration policy; it is a decision that could cost lives,” said Lisa Owen, the International Rescue Committee’s country director for Afghanistan.
UN agencies and rights groups have repeatedly voiced alarm over forced returns while Afghanistan faces one of its worst humanitarian crises under Taliban rule. Nearly half the population depends on foreign aid, with acute malnutrition rising among women and children, according to UN data.
Neighboring countries have already carried out large-scale deportations. Pakistan and Iran have collectively returned more than five million Afghans since late 2023, according to the UN. Many returnees face unemployment, displacement, and limited access to humanitarian support upon arrival.
