EU hosts Taliban officials in Brussels for first time

The EU held its first meeting with an Afghan Taliban delegation in Brussels, sparking criticism from rights groups but defended as a step towards repatriating failed asylum seekers.

An Afghan Taliban delegation met EU officials in Brussels on Tuesday for the first time, an event rights groups denounced as legitimising the Islamists but the EU has defended as a step ‌towards making it easier to repatriate failed asylum seekers.

The EU and its member countries have not recognised the Taliban government since the militant group returned to power five years ago after 20 years of war against a government backed by a U.S.-led NATO force. But Brussels has defended its decision to hold limited talks with Afghanistan's "de ‌facto authorities" as necessary to deport failed asylum seekers who commit crimes or are deemed dangerous.

A spokesperson for the EU's executive European Commission said ‌that officials from the commission and 15 EU member states had attended the Brussels meeting, a followup to a previous meeting held in Kabul in January. "The Commission services and Sweden co-chaired a technical-level meeting today in Brussels with technical-level representatives of the de facto authorities of Afghanistan responsible for return and readmission," the Commission spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry described the agenda as wider, ⁠saying ​it included a possible consular presence in the ⁠EU, resumption of consular services for Afghans there, and "the need for trust-building measures". The meeting raised "hope to build positive momentum to safeguard consular rights of Afghans residing abroad," added the spokesperson, Abdul Qahar ⁠Balkhi.

A letter from the Commission addressed to Balkhi and reviewed by Reuters said the talks would focus "on the return and readmission of Afghan nationals without a right to ​stay in the EU." The visit was heavily criticised by rights groups and by a number of European politicians who said that such engagement could put ⁠Afghans at risk and undermine core EU values.

"Europe must not legitimise a regime responsible for one of the worst human rights crises in the world," Afghan Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai ⁠said ​in a post on X. Beside conferring legitimacy on the Taliban, the meeting is also contentious for its potential effects.

"The most obvious and dangerous consequence is that Afghans will be returned from the EU, and will face persecution from the Taliban after their arrival," said Jeff Crisp, Head of Policy Development ⁠and Evaluation at UNHCR and visiting fellow at the University of Oxford. Belgium's Foreign Ministry had issued a visa that allowed the Afghan representatives to enter ⁠the country for only one day and ⁠restricted their presence to Belgian soil, rather than allow normal free movement in the EU's Schengen zone.

Since returning to power, the Taliban have steadily curtailed rights, restricting women's freedom of movement, banning girls from education beyond primary school and ‌enforcing morality laws that limit ‌free expression and access to employment.