EU's Taliban Talks Reveal Gap Between Policy Goals and Reality

European officials convened a Taliban delegation in Brussels in June 2026 after Belgium granted a 24-hour visa for five representatives, including foreign-ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi. The meeting, driven by Sweden, Belgium and Germany, aimed to facilitate the return of Afghans deported from Europe, while the Taliban sought authority over European consular offices. The EU’s recognition framework, which requires concrete steps on counter-terrorism, women’s education and inclusive governance, remains unmet; terrorist networks such as Al Qaeda, ISIS-K and TTP continue to operate from Afghanistan, and over 2.6 million Afghan girls are barred from secondary education. Human-rights bodies and the European Parliament’s sub-committee have warned that the engagement risks normalising a regime that offers no concessions, urging conditional and reversible dialogue tied to verifiable reforms.