The European Union confirmed on Monday it has initiated exploratory contacts with the Taliban government in Afghanistan as part of efforts to increase the number of deportations of failed asylum seekers from Europe.
The admission comes after a majority of EU nations urged Brussels to reach out to the administration in Kabul.
Markus Lammert, a spokesman for the EU's executive, told journalists in Brussels that the European Commission was working to ensure coordination among member states.
"Earlier this year, we initiated exploratory contacts at technical level with the de-facto authorities in Afghanistan," he said.
The Taliban have been largely isolated on the global stage since they imposed a strict version of Islamic law upon returning to power in 2021, following the withdrawal of US-led forces.
But in a letter initiated by Belgium, 20 EU member states called on the commission to take action to enable both voluntary and forced returns of Afghans with no right to stay in Europe.
"We are unable to return irregular Afghan nationals, even after a conviction," Belgian migration minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt said in a statement. "This undermines public trust in asylum policy and affects our collective security. It is time for Europe to act together."
Countries sign text
The text was signed among others by Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Sweden.
Most are members of a club of EU countries that is clamouring for a broader clampdown on migration following a souring of public opinion that has fuelled hard-right electoral gains across the bloc.
According to EU data, fewer than 20 percent of people ordered to leave the 27-country EU bloc are returned to their country of origin.
Sweden's migration minister Johan Forssell told the French news agency AFP in an interview last week that EU members could pool resources to repatriate Afghans.
"There could be joint planes to Afghanistan," he said, adding an EU team had been holding technical discussions in Kabul. "We need to find common solutions here," Forssell added.
The EU has maintained a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan but contacts have been limited to certain areas, including humanitarian assistance.
Brussels' diplomatic service says on its website that the engagement "does not bestow any legitimacy" to the Taliban government.
EU, US condemn Taliban ban on women working for NGOs in Afghanistan
In September 2022, the Taliban ordered non-governmental organisations in the country to stop women employees from working.
The Taliban government said in a notification to all NGOs that it was because of the "non-observance of the Islamic hijab" (headscarf) by "females" working for the NGOs.
The Ministry of Economy threatened to suspend the operating licences of NGOs if they failed to implement the order.
The move came less than a week after the Taliban leadership banned women from attending universities, after having banned teenage girls from high school. Women have also been pushed out of government jobs.
