A delegation of Taliban officials met with European Union representatives in Brussels on Tuesday, marking the first time such a meeting has taken place on EU soil — a development that drew immediate backlash from human rights organizations and European politicians.
The EU and its member nations have not formally recognized the Taliban government since the militant group seized control of Afghanistan five years ago, following two decades of conflict against a government supported by a U.S.-led NATO coalition.
Despite that lack of recognition, Brussels has defended its decision to engage in limited talks with what it calls Afghanistan’s “de facto authorities,” saying such dialogue is necessary to facilitate the removal of failed asylum seekers who have committed crimes or are considered a threat.
According to an EU European Commission spokesperson, officials from the Commission and 15 EU member states were present at the Brussels meeting, which served as a follow-up to an earlier gathering held in Kabul back in January.
“The Commission services and Sweden co-chaired a technical-level meeting today in Brussels with technical-level representatives of the de facto authorities of Afghanistan responsible for return and readmission,” the Commission spokesperson stated.
Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry offered a broader description of what was discussed. A spokesperson for the ministry, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, said topics included the possibility of a consular presence within the EU, the resumption of consular services for Afghans living in Europe, and what he called “the need for trust-building measures.”
Balkhi added that the meeting raised “hope to build positive momentum to safeguard consular rights of Afghans residing abroad.”
However, a letter from the Commission addressed to Balkhi — reviewed by Reuters — indicated the talks were specifically focused “on the return and readmission of Afghan nationals without a right to stay in the EU.”
The visit sparked strong opposition from rights organizations and several European elected officials, who warned that engaging with the Taliban could endanger Afghans and contradict the EU’s foundational values.
“Every invitation, every visa and every official meeting sends a political signal. The Taliban are not seeking technical discussions, they are seeking legitimacy,” said Hannah Neumann, a European lawmaker from the Green Party, in a statement co-signed by German parliamentarians and former Afghan lawmakers.
Belgium’s Foreign Ministry took steps to limit the Taliban delegation’s access, issuing visas that permitted the Afghan representatives to enter the country for just one day and confined their movement to Belgian territory, preventing them from traveling freely through the EU’s broader Schengen zone.
Since reclaiming power, the Taliban have progressively rolled back civil rights in Afghanistan — restricting women’s ability to move freely, barring girls from attending school beyond the primary level, and enforcing strict morality laws that limit free expression and access to work.
