Deportations to Afghanistan divide the EU

While Germany will resume deporting migrants to Afghanistan in 2024, most other EU member states are still hesitant to take this step and are asking for support from Brussels. Under pressure from governments, the European Commission has established contacts with the Taliban regime, according to Welt.

Through two technical missions to Afghanistan, most recently in January, the Commission explored possibilities for cooperation on readmission and the organization of repatriation operations, according to the cited portal.

However, plans for deportations face significant legal, ethical, and practical obstacles. Human rights organizations point out that the Taliban has tightened repression over the past year, restricted media freedom, and introduced new rules affecting women and girls in particular.

Despite this, most of the 27 EU member states now support deportations. Arafat Jamal, representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Afghanistan, described this shift as worrying.

Between 2013 and 2024, Afghans in EU countries filed approximately one million asylum applications, of which about half were approved. Germany has already deported more than 100 Afghans and is negotiating an agreement with the Taliban, while Austria resumed deportations last year. Other countries, such as France, remain cautious.

At the same time, the Commission draws attention to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and complicated diplomatic relations.

(max)