A group of European lawmakers, former Afghan parliamentarians and human rights advocates has called on the European Union to abandon plans to host Taliban representatives in Brussels, arguing that such engagement would reward the Taliban with political legitimacy despite their worsening human rights record.
In an open letter addressed to the European Commission, the European External Action Service and EU member states, the signatories said they were “deeply concerned” by reports that Taliban officials had been invited to discuss migration and deportation arrangements with European authorities.
The letter says that the Taliban have failed to meet conditions the EU established for engagement after their return to power in 2021, including respect for human rights, unhindered humanitarian access, counterterrorism commitments and progress toward an inclusive government. Instead, the authors said, the human rights situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated dramatically, particularly for women and girls.
Among the signatories is Hannah Neumann, a German member of the European Parliament, who shared the letter on X and said the Taliban have used migration cooperation to gain political access.
“The EU shouldn’t trade its principles for deportation deals,” Neumann wrote. “Every invitation, every visa, every official meeting sends a political signal.”
She said the Taliban had not fulfilled “a single condition” under the EU’s benchmarks for engagement and argued that five years of what she described as “gender apartheid, persecution and public floggings” should lead to increased pressure on the Taliban rather than official meetings in Europe.
“Taliban shouldn’t be invited to Brussels,” Neumann wrote. “This gives into blackmailing and normalisation.”
The open letter describes the planned migration talks as particularly troubling because they risk creating a precedent in which governments accused of serious human rights violations gain diplomatic concessions through cooperation on deportations.
“Inviting Taliban representatives to Europe is a serious mistake,” the signatories wrote, warning that visas and official meetings would provide the Taliban with the international legitimacy they have sought since returning to power.
The authors said that the Taliban would likely present any visit to Brussels as evidence that Europe is normalizing relations with their government despite continuing restrictions on women, political repression and public punishments.
The letter points to Germany’s recent engagement with Taliban on deportation arrangements as an example of what it describes as a broader trend toward normalization. The signatories warned that migration cooperation should not come at the expense of human rights principles or accountability.
They also expressed concern that Taliban-linked officials have increasingly assumed consular functions in some European countries, raising fears among Afghan refugees and exiles about surveillance, intimidation and pressure from Taliban.
The signatories further argued that European governments risk sidelining the voices of Afghans who supported democracy, human rights and international missions before the Taliban’s return to power.
“The voices of those who fought for democracy, human rights and women’s rights in Afghanistan should lead our decision-making — not the Taliban,” Neumann wrote.
Among the letter’s recommendations are calls for the European Union to refrain from inviting Taliban representatives to Brussels or other European capitals, reject any arrangement linking deportation cooperation to diplomatic engagement, maintain existing human rights conditions for engagement and expand protection pathways for Afghans at risk.
The letter also urges stronger support for international accountability efforts, including the International Criminal Court’s investigation into Afghanistan and the recently established United Nations accountability mechanism tasked with documenting crimes committed by all parties to the conflict.
Among those who signed the letter are Fawzia Koofi, the former Afghan parliamentarian and women’s rights advocate; Alessandra Moretti, vice chair of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with Afghanistan; Raquel García Hermida-van der Walle, chair of the delegation; and more than 20 other European and Afghan political figures.
The appeal comes as Belgium has issued visas to a Taliban delegation for migration-related discussions in Brussels, a move that would mark the first known visit by Taliban representatives to EU institutions since they returned to power in August 2021.
European officials have described the planned discussions as technical talks focused on the return and readmission of Afghan nationals who do not have legal residency rights in the European Union, insisting that the meeting does not amount to recognition of Taliban rule.
