Belgium grants one-day visas to Taliban delegation for EU deportation talks

Visa approval and security clearance

Belgium issued the one-day visas on Monday afternoon, the cabinet of Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot confirmed. The visas are valid only on Belgian territory and do not permit travel in the wider Schengen zone. Belgian state security and military intelligence services assessed the five individuals and found no information suggesting they pose a threat to national security.

The five visas requested have been granted.

Meeting purpose and EU stance

The visit is expected as early as Tuesday at the European Commission, though for security reasons neither Belgian nor EU officials have publicly confirmed the date. The Commission insists the talks are at a "technical level" with de facto Afghan authorities and do not imply formal recognition of the Taliban regime. The meeting follows a demand from around twenty member states, led by Belgium and Germany, to explore ways to accelerate both voluntary and forced returns of Afghans with no legal right to remain in the EU, particularly those who represent a security threat.

It is a meeting at technical level with representatives of the de facto authorities of Afghanistan in Brussels.

Political controversy

Human rights organisations and some MEPs sharply criticised the engagement. Human Rights Watch said EU countries undermine their credibility by condemning Taliban abuses while cooperating on forced returns. Dutch MEP Raquel Garcia Hermida-van der Walle, chair of the European Parliament's Afghanistan group, accused the Commission of legitimising the regime.

You don't sit in Brussels for a tea party with the Taliban who oppress their women, their girls, their population in such a terrible way.

EU countries are undermining their credibility by condemning the Taliban's abuses on the one hand, demanding accountability for their perpetrators, while cooperating with the Taliban on forced returns on the other.

Timeline and next steps

The planned Brussels meeting comes after a first encounter in Kabul in January 2026. In April, Euractiv revealed that a Taliban delegation was expected in the Belgian capital before the summer, and in May the Commission publicly stated its intention to invite Taliban officials. The Taliban government confirmed its acceptance on 8 June. If the meeting proceeds, it would mark the second direct contact since the return of Taliban rule in 2021.