EU invites Taliban delegation to Brussels for talks on returning failed Afghan asylum seekers

A Taliban delegation is expected to arrive in Brussels on Tuesday after Belgium issued one-day visas for talks with the European Union on the return of failed Afghan asylum seekers, as European governments seek tougher measures to curb irregular migration and increase deportations.

The European Commission invited the Taliban officials for discussions despite not formally recognising the administration in Kabul. The planned meeting has prompted strong criticism from rights organisations, which have urged the EU to withdraw from the talks.

Belgium grants one-day visas

A spokeswoman for Belgium's foreign minister said on Monday that the five requested visas had been approved following a security assessment.

She said the visas were valid only for Belgium and did not extend to the broader Schengen free-movement area. The documents are also valid for one day only.

Belgium declined to specify when the delegation would arrive, citing security concerns. However, multiple sources and Afghan media reports indicated that the discussions were expected to take place on Tuesday.

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The delegation is understood to be travelling to and from Belgium via Turkey.

Rights groups raise concerns

Brussels and EU member states have maintained that hosting Taliban officials does not amount to formal recognition of the government in Kabul. Critics, including leading rights organisations, have argued that such engagement contradicts the bloc's stated principles.

"EU countries are undermining their credibility by condemning Taliban abuses and pursuing accountability on one hand, while cooperating with the Taliban to forcibly return Afghans on the other," said Fereshta Abbasi of Human Rights Watch.

European governments closed their embassies in Kabul after the Taliban returned to power in 2021 and implemented their strict interpretation of Islamic law.

Under Taliban rule, women are required to be almost entirely covered in public and are barred from several public spaces, including parks and gyms. Girls' education also ends at the age of 12.

Migration concerns drive outreach

Earlier this month, the European Union's migration chief Magnus Brunner defended the outreach, saying Brussels had no alternative but to engage with the Taliban government on the issue of returning irregular migrants from Afghanistan.

European governments have increasingly adopted a tougher stance on migration as public sentiment has hardened, contributing to electoral gains by far-right parties across the continent.

According to the EU's data agency, member states received about a million asylum applications from Afghans between 2013 and 2024. Roughly half of those applications were approved during the period.

Around 20 of the EU's 27 member states expressed interest last year in returning certain migrants without a legal right to remain in Europe, particularly those convicted of crimes.

"The focus for member states is very much on persons who have committed serious crimes or who pose a security threat," European Commission spokesman Markus Lammert told journalists on Monday.

Rights groups have also questioned the legality and ethics of returning people to Afghanistan, where millions continue to face hunger and economic hardship amid a severe humanitarian crisis, according to the United Nations.