EU officials meet Taliban officials in Brussels to discuss migrant deportations to Afghanistan, marking a controversial shift in EU migration policy
Executive summary: EU officials met Taliban representatives in Brussels for the first time to discuss cooperation on migrant returns to Afghanistan. The meeting marks a controversial shift in EU migration policy, potentially enabling deportations to a regime accused of widespread abuses and raising legal, humanitarian and diplomatic concerns. EU interior ministers (notably from Germany), Taliban representatives, European Commission officials, and indirectly Afghan migrants and human‑rights organisations. The EU may negotiate formal return agreements, face legal challenges under EU asylum law, and see shifts in migrant flow patterns as humanitarian groups monitor the situation.
On June 23, 2026, EU representatives, led by Germany and other member states, held the first-ever talks with Taliban officials in Brussels to discuss cooperation on returning migrants to Afghanistan. The meeting signals a controversial shift in EU migration policy, potentially enabling deportations to a regime widely accused of human‑rights abuses and raising legal, humanitarian and diplomatic concerns. While EU officials argue the talks could curb irregular migration, human rights groups warn they may violate the EU’s non‑refoulement obligations and expose the bloc to legal challenges.
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