The European Union hosted a delegation of Taliban officials in Brussels on Tuesday for the first time, marking a significant diplomatic shift in efforts to facilitate the return of Afghan nationals, according to Al Jazeera and DW.com. The meeting focused on “dignified returns” for Afghans in Europe and included technical-level discussions on migration and consular services.

Visa Restrictions and Delegation Details

The Taliban delegation was granted single-day visas valid only for Belgium; the meeting took place at an undisclosed location and was co-chaired by the European Commission and Sweden. The event followed a previous meeting in Kabul in January, according to a European Commission spokesperson.

Abdul Qahar Balkhi. A spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called the visit “historic,” noting it was the first time a delegation from the Afghan government had met with the European Union in Brussels. He emphasized the importance of “trust-building measures” and the resumption of consular services for Afghans living in Europe.

Criticism and Concerns Over Normalization

The outreach has drawn criticism from human rights groups and some European politicians. They argue that engaging with the Taliban risks legitimizing their rule and undermines the EU’s stance on human rights, particularly regarding the restrictions imposed on women and girls in Afghanistan.

“If the EU starts cooperating with them, it takes away the very important power it has by not recognizing them, because talking with them means that you normalize them, and that they just become leaders of a country like any other leader,” Tineke Strik, a Dutch Member of the European Parliament (MEP), told DW in May.

Fereshta Abbasi of Human Rights Watch expressed concerns that EU countries are undermining their credibility by condemning Taliban abuses and pursuing accountability on one hand, while cooperating with the Taliban to forcibly return Afghans on the other.

EU’s Justification for Limited Engagement

Brussels has justified the meeting as a necessary step to manage migration and deport asylum seekers who have committed crimes or are deemed dangerous. The EU and its member states have not recognized the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government since they returned to power in 2021 after 20 years of conflict against a US-backed government.

European governments closed their embassies in Kabul when the Taliban took control in 2021. The group has since occupied all branches of the Afghan government, but no country—except for Russia,recognizes the Taliban as the legitimate administration.

The European Commission has maintained that its engagement is limited and does not constitute recognition of the Taliban as a governing body. The meeting in Brussels was seen as a continuation of discussions initiated during a technical-level meeting in Kabul earlier this year.

A European Commission spokesperson stated that 15 EU member states participated in the Brussels meeting, highlighting the bloc’s coordinated approach to the issue of Afghan migration and returns.