The European Union hosted a five-member Taliban delegation in Brussels on 23 June 2026, the first such visit since the group retook power in Afghanistan in 2021. The technical-level meeting, co-chaired by the European Commission and Sweden, aimed to establish mechanisms for the return of Afghan nationals who have exhausted asylum claims, particularly those convicted of serious crimes or considered security risks. Belgium issued one-day visas valid only on its territory after a security assessment, and the talks were held outside EU institutional buildings.

According to the European Commission, the encounter is a follow-up to a January 2026 meeting in Kabul and responds to a request from 20 member states, including Germany, Sweden, and Belgium, to explore forced returns. The Commission stressed that operational contacts with the “de facto authorities” do not constitute political recognition of the Taliban government, which remains under EU sanctions. German authorities have already conducted several deportation flights using bilateral channels, while other capitals seek a coordinated European framework to overcome the absence of diplomatic relations.

Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, condemned the invitation, arguing that any engagement with the Taliban should prioritise human rights protection and accountability, not deportations to a country where over 17 million people face acute food insecurity, according to the UN World Food Programme. European parliamentarians from the Greens and other groups said the meeting grants legitimacy to a regime that has systematically curtailed women’s rights, banning girls’ education beyond primary school and enforcing morality laws. Afghan diaspora groups also protested in Brussels. From Kabul, Taliban foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi described the agenda as broader, including the possible resumption of consular services for Afghans in the EU and trust-building measures, and said the talks raised hope for safeguarding the rights of Afghans abroad.

The meeting reflects a hardening of EU migration policy as public opinion shifts and far-right parties gain electoral ground, with member states increasingly willing to engage with unsavoury regimes to facilitate returns. The Commission indicated that any actual deportations remain a national competence and that the Brussels talks were a technical coordination exercise. No further high-level meetings have been announced, but working-level contacts are expected to continue to develop identification and travel document procedures, leaving the dossier a flashpoint between security-focused interior ministries and human rights advocates.