The European Union has lent itself to criticism for a controversial meeting of its officials with Taliban representatives in Brussels recently. The agenda was returning failed Afghan asylum-seekers from European countries who had fled their native country to avoid repression by the bigoted Taliban regime.
The discussions could advance European efforts to deport Afghans who have no legal right to remain as European governments seek a tougher approach to irregular migration. According to EU data, member states received about 1 million asylum applications from Afghans between 2013 and 2024, with roughly half approved. Around 20 EU countries signalled interest last year in returning some Afghans without a right to stay, particularly those convicted of serious crimes or considered security threats.
The outreach has drawn criticism from various human rights groups across the EU. They argue that cooperation on such returns of Afghan nationals risks undermining the EU’s criticism of Taliban policies, particularly restrictions on women and girls and that it smacks of hypocrisy on the part of European countries who appear to be speaking in two voices on the question of brutal repression and trampling of minimum rights for women.
Among the critics is Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani girls’ education activist. She said Europe must not legitimise a regime responsible for one of the worst human rights crises in the world. The most obvious and dangerous consequence is that once Afghans are sent back from the EU they will face persecution from the Taliban on their arrival.
Fereshta Abbasi of Human Rights Watch said that EU countries are contradicting themselves by condemning Taliban abuses and pursuing accountability on one hand, while cooperating with the Taliban to forcibly return Afghans on the other.
Rights groups and humanitarian organisations have also questioned whether returns are legal or ethical, given Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, with millions facing hunger and economic hardship, according to the United Nations.
However, proponents of the move argue that illegal immigrants have no legal right to continue to stay on since they come in without approval and especially the ones who fail to gain asylum later.
The problem is indeed complex. European governments should be able to return people who have committed serious crimes or are unwilling or unable to integrate with European society. At the same time, the human rights and economic situation in Afghanistan remains dire.
The EU’s migration chief Magnus Brunner defended the engagement by asserting that there is no other option than to engage with the Taliban regime on the return of irregular migrants.
On the other hand, the UN human rights chief Volker Turk pointed out when criticising the plans that international law prohibits returning individuals to a place where they would be at risk of serious human rights violations or other irreparable harm.
European governments have increasingly pushed for stricter migration policies as the issue continues to gain political prominence across the continent with Far-Right outfits getting traction from people swelling their ranks, posing a threat to the political survival of mainstream parties.
The EU and its member countries have not recognised the Taliban government since the militant group returned to power five years ago after 20 years of war against a government backed by US-led NATO forces.
The EU needs a serious migration policy which aligns with its talk against human rights violations across the world. Meaning, the European countries need to walk the talk. Either their migration policy stands as a clear deterrent or an invitation. It cannot be both.