Taliban officials were in Brussels on Tuesday (June 23)* for talks on deportations and migration. The EU says the meeting is a "technical contact" with Afghanistan's de facto authorities, but critics warn it could help normalize a regime accused of rights abuses.
The Taliban are not officially recognized as Afghanistan's government by the EU or any EU member state, despite having ruled the country since 2021. Their human rights record, especially regarding women and girls, has been widely condemned.
But that has not stopped Belgium from issuing one-day visas to five Taliban officials for talks on the possible return of Afghan migrants from the EU to Afghanistan.
Jared Reed asked DW correspondent Rosie Birchard and Afghanistan expert Shagofah Ghafori from the Center for European Policy Studies whether the EU's stricter migration and asylum policies are taking precedence over human rights, what other options the bloc has — and how it should deal with people who have no legal right to stay.
Author: Jared Reed and Rosie Birchard
First published: June 23, 2026
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Source: dw.com
*The introduction with regards to the date was lightly modified to reflect that InfoMigrants posted this a day later than DW who were referring to the days events on Tuesday, whereas InfoMigrants is posting this on Wednesday (June 24).