EU and Taliban representatives meet for the first time in Brussels

A delegation of the Afghan Taliban met for the first time in Brussels with representatives of the European Union on June 23.

Reuters and Euronews write about this.

Human rights activists condemned the meeting and called it an "attempt to legitimize Islamists", but the EU called it a step to simplify the "repatriation" procedure for people who have been denied asylum.

A European Commission spokesman said the meeting was attended by representatives of the European Commission and 15 EU member states. The UN noted that the meeting could have dangerous consequences: Afghans would be deported from the EU to their homeland, where they could be persecuted by the Taliban.

The meeting was co-chaired by Sweden, one of the EU countries with the largest Afghan population. The European Commission said it discussed how to return illegal Afghan migrants "who have committed serious crimes or pose a security threat".

The invitation for the "Taliban", which Euronews journalists reviewed, only reported on "Afghan citizens who do not have the right to be in the EU", without mentioning criminal acts.

According to Eurostat, of the 14 270 Afghan citizens who were supposed to leave the EU in the first nine months of 2025, only 340 people were deported — just 2%.

• After seizing power in August 2021, the Taliban began to gradually impose numerous restrictions. They mainly affect women. In particular, the Taliban banned women from studying at universities and ordered private universities not to allow them to take entrance exams, and banned women from working in NGOs, playing sports, visiting amusement parks, and driving without a hijab.
• The EU does not recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of the country and has instead chosen a policy of so-called operational engagement — dialogue on humanitarian aid and deportation of Afghans.

Author: Khrystyna Pitsuriak

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