EU invites Taiban members to discuss Afghan migrant returns

The European Commission has invited representatives of the Taliban to Brussels for talks on deporting Afghan nationals who have been refused permission to stay in the European Union. 

The invitation follows a preliminary meeting for "technical talks" that took place this January in Afghanistan, European Commission spokesman Markus Lammert said on Tuesday, classifying the planned Brussels discussions as a "follow-up."  

He said the invitation to Brussels "does not by any means constitute a recognition" of the Taliban as the Afghan government. 

The EU does not formally recognize the Taliban's leadership, after its sudden return to power amid the NATO withdrawal just over five years ago in early 2021. 

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Who are EU member states trying to deport? 

Commission spokesman Lammert said that 20 EU members and Schengen countries originally requested the consultations last year. 

The countries launching the petition complained that of Afghans issued return orders by EU countries in 2024, only 2% were actually sent back.

Lammert said most had either been convicted of crimes or been deemed a security threat, or both. 

"We're speaking here about persons who pose a security threat. These are the persons that member states want to return," Lammert said. 

A letter was sent on Tuesday morning seeking to set a date for talks, after cooperation between Commission officials and Sweden.

Sweden and Germany had been among the countries pushing for movement on the issue, in Germany's case after a high-profile knife attack by an Afghan national who had previously been ordered to leave the country featured heavily in the news in the closing weeks of the 2025 federal election cycle.

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Why is it difficult and controversial?

Given the security situation in Afghanistan, particularly since the Taliban's return to de facto power in 2021, European countries have struggled to return migrants to the country on both political and legal grounds. 

The Islamists are largely isolated internationally, albeit with more and more governments leaning towards partial recognition and cooperation, not least because of their restrictions on women and girls.

In 2024, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that the Taliban's treatment of women constituted persecution. 

"Every return decision has to be in line with EU and international law, including in particular fundamental rights," Lammert said. 

According to the UNHCR refugee agency, countries like Pakistan and Iran have deported more than 5 million Afghans since October 2023, many of them not by choice. NGOs report that many live in extreme hardship on their return, without homes or stable employment. 

Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez