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Taliban representatives are expected in Brussels in the coming weeks for discussions with European Union officials on the deportation of Afghan nationals from EU member states, sources told AFP.
The EU has been developing plans to return Afghans without legal status to their home country, despite opposition from human rights organisations and the UN refugee agency.
According to diplomatic sources, the visit, being coordinated by the European Commission alongside several member states, would follow earlier “exploratory” trips by EU officials to Afghanistan.
“The idea is to invite them before summer,” a diplomatic source told AFP, saying the Taliban delegation would be a “technical” team.
An official involved in the process said EU representatives “are gathering information about flights, about capacity at Kabul airport, they’re speaking with the Taliban about what would happen to the people sent back”.
The European Commission has not formally extended an invitation to the Taliban authorities.
Several EU governments have increasingly pushed for deportations due to rising political pressure on migration, with far-right parties gaining ground across the bloc.
Around 20 EU countries have explored returning Afghans, particularly those with criminal convictions, while Germany and Austria have already carried out limited deportations using charter flights.
The planned Taliban visit, initially expected in March, has now been pushed to the coming weeks, sources said, confirming earlier reports.
However, the move has sparked concern due to Afghanistan’s ongoing humanitarian crisis, worsened by drought, economic collapse, and reduced international aid.
The EU does not recognise the Taliban government, which returned to power in 2021 and has since imposed strict interpretations of Islamic law.
Between 2013 and 2024, EU countries received around one million asylum applications from Afghans, who were the largest group of applicants last year.
