Belgium has issued one-day visas to five members of a Taliban delegation invited to Brussels for talks with European Union officials on migration and deportations, Belgian authorities said as quoted by Reuters.
The visas, which are valid only within Belgium and for a single day, will allow the delegation to attend discussions focused on the return and readmission of Afghan nationals who do not have the legal right to remain in the European Union.
The meeting would be the first known visit by Taliban representatives to EU institutions since the group regained power in Afghanistan in August 2021.
Quoted by Reuters, a spokesman for Belgium’s Foreign Ministry said the visas were geographically restricted and limited in duration. Belgian authorities have declined to disclose the exact date of the visit, citing security concerns. Also quoted by Reuters, two European officials said the visas were valid only for Tuesday, June 23.
The talks stem from an invitation sent last month by the European Commission to Taliban officials for what EU authorities describe as technical discussions on migration management.
European officials have emphasized that the meeting does not constitute diplomatic recognition of the Taliban rule.
“Member States are looking into ways to return persons who have committed serious crimes and who are possibly a security threat,” European Commission spokesman Markus Lammert told reporters on Monday. “This is the initiative that the Commission is now following up on.”
According to a letter seen by Reuters and addressed to Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesman for the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry, the discussions will focus on “the return and readmission of Afghan nationals without a right to stay in the European Union.”
The planned meeting has drawn criticism from human rights organizations, which argue that engagement with the Taliban should focus on human rights and accountability rather than deportations.
“Any engagement with the Taliban needs to prioritize protecting human rights and accountability — not deporting people to danger there,” Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, said.
Amnesty International also urged the European Union to abandon the talks. Eve Geddie, director of Amnesty’s European Institutions Office, said Afghanistan had become more dangerous since the Taliban returned to power.
The meeting comes as several European governments seek ways to increase deportations of Afghan nationals convicted of serious crimes or deemed security threats. Returns to Afghanistan have remained limited because most European countries do not maintain formal diplomatic relations with the Taliban administration.
The discussions have also sparked political debate within Europe. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot has publicly opposed hosting Taliban representatives in Brussels, while critics warn that such contacts risk legitimizing a regime that remains internationally isolated.
The controversy has intensified amid broader efforts by European governments to expand deportation arrangements with Taliban authorities. German media recently reported that Berlin had agreed to admit additional Taliban diplomats as part of discussions aimed at increasing deportation flights to Afghanistan, though German officials have not publicly confirmed the details.
The talks are taking place against the backdrop of a worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. According to the World Food Programme, more than 17 million Afghans — roughly one-third of the population — face acute food insecurity. The country is also struggling to absorb hundreds of thousands of returnees from Iran and Pakistan.
Since returning to power, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on women and girls, including bans on secondary and university education, limits on employment and strict constraints on freedom of movement. The United Nations has repeatedly condemned the measures and warned that Afghanistan’s human rights situation continues to deteriorate.
Despite those concerns, European officials argue that practical cooperation is necessary to address migration challenges, setting up a difficult balancing act between migration policy and human rights obligations.
