In a historic move and surrounded by strict secrecy, the European Union (EU) yesterday received an official delegation from the Taliban authorities in Brussels for the first time since they regained power in Afghanistan in 2021. The meeting, held at a “technical level”, had the main objective of coordinating and accelerating the deportation of Afghan citizens who are in European territory irregularly and who have been denied the right of asylum.
But was the entire EU represented? No. The meeting was co-chaired by the services of the European Commission (EC) and representatives of Sweden, with the participation of technical delegates from other 14 EU Member States and the de facto authorities of Afghanistan in charge of the return and readmission processes. Spain was not in that group. The central government has repeatedly denounced human rights violations by the Islamist regime and, in addition, it is one of the community countries that has most opposed the least guaranteeing immigration regulations, although it has finally acceded to the Pact on Migration and Asylum.
As confirmed by community sources to media such as EFE and Europa Press, the meeting focused primarily on expediting the expulsion of those Afghans who have committed serious crimes or who are considered a threat to citizen security. During the meeting, critical logistical aspects were addressed, such as the identification of returned migrants and the issuance of their travel documents.
Belgium, the host country, facilitated the visit by issuing five exceptional visas, valid for a single day and strictly limited to its territory, preventing the Taliban delegation from moving freely through the rest of the Schengen area.
Despite the importance of the meeting, Brussels tried to keep the event away from the public spotlight: the European Executive did not confirm the meeting until it had concluded and refused to reveal the names or positions of the attendees, as well as the financial details related to the cost of the trip and accommodation of the Afghan delegation.
Taliban sympathizers celebrate in the streets of Kabul the first anniversary of the new takeover of power in Afghanistan, in August 2022.
Pressure from the states
This technical summit is the continuation of the first exploratory approaches that took place in Kabul last January. The initiative responds directly to the pressure exerted in October last year by a group of 20 European countries – led by Germany and Belgium – which sent a joint letter to Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner.
In the letter, the signatory countries (which include powers such as Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Greece and the Scandinavian countries, but in which Spain does not participate either) urged the Commission to adopt concrete measures in the face of the legal and operational impossibility of expelling Afghan citizens in an irregular situation, even after having been convicted of serious crimes on European soil.
Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell defended the measure, saying that the ability to return those who do not have a legal right to stay is “a fundamental pillar of a credible and effective asylum system.”
The community spokesperson for the Interior, Markus Lammert, was quick to qualify the EU’s position, insisting that this technical dialogue “in no case” represents a concrete proposal for greater cooperation nor does it imply an implicit political recognition of the Taliban regime.
Strong criticism
The Union’s strategy has unleashed a wave of indignation among international organizations and non-governmental organizations. Organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) have described the initiative as “dangerous” and have denounced the lack of democratic and security guarantees in Afghanistan.
NGOs warn that forcing the return of migrants violates the international principle of “non-refoulement”, exposing returnees to serious and documented risks such as arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, torture, ill-treatment or direct reprisals by the fundamentalist regime. Fereshta Abbasi, HRW’s Afghanistan researcher, lamented the European stance, noting that EU countries “undermine their credibility” by publicly condemning Taliban abuses on the one hand, while quietly cooperating with them to force returns on the other.
Especially relevant has been the message on networks published by the Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Prize winner, shot for especially defending the right to education for women and girls in her home district of Swat. “I am shocked and deeply disturbed by this,” she said at the EC’s invitation.
“This is the same Taliban that banned girls from attending secondary schools and forced them to marry. The same Taliban that, earlier this month, arrested dozens of women in Herat for how they dressed. The same Taliban that detains, beats and executes women who dare to speak or break their rules,” he says on the social network X.
“Through its system of gender apartheid, the Taliban have erased women and girls from public life. Europe must not legitimize a regime responsible for one of the worst human rights crises in the world. Any engagement with the Taliban must begin and end with the rights of Afghan women and girls,” it reminds the community institutions.
