The Albany Gazette - EU to host Taliban officials for talks on deporting Afghans

The European Union has been working on plans to deport those with no right to stay in the bloc back to Afghanistan, despite concerns from rights groups and the United Nations refugee agency.

The visit by Taliban officials, which is being coordinated by the European Commission and several member states, follows two trips by European officials to Afghanistan for "exploratory" discussions on the issue.

"The idea is to invite them before summer," a diplomatic source told AFP, saying the Taliban delegation would be a "technical" team.

European officials "are gathering information about flights, about capacity at Kabul airport, they're speaking with the Taliban about what would happen to the people sent back", said a source involved in the discussions.

The Commission has not yet sent an official invitation to the Taliban authorities.

Stepping up deportations has become a common refrain among EU countries, as souring public opinion on migration has fuelled right-wing electoral gains across the 27-nation bloc.

Around 20 EU countries have been exploring how to deport Afghans, particularly those convicted of crimes.

Germany has already started, deporting more than 100 Afghans since 2024, via charter flights facilitated by Qatar.

Austria has followed suit.

The Taliban delegation's visit was initially planned for late March, but is now set for the coming weeks, sources told AFP, confirming a report by news site Euractiv.

But the deportation push has raised multiple concerns.

Afghanistan is in the middle of a humanitarian crisis, compounded by drought and huge cuts in foreign aid, rights groups say.

And the EU does not officially recognise the Taliban authorities, who returned to power in 2021, imposing their strict interpretation of Islamic law.

EU countries received about a million asylum applications filed by Afghans between 2013 and 2024.

Afghans represented the largest group of applicants last year.

(T.Wright--TAG)