European governments are negotiating to expand deportations with Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities, The New York Times reported, while a Belgian review describes returnees’ difficulties securing income and housing.
Belgium’s Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons published the review Oct. 16. Returnees reported difficulty obtaining food and water, continuing their education and securing income. The review counted about 6.5 million returns to Afghanistan over the previous three years, primarily from Iran and Pakistan. That broader return figure is separate from the review’s information on European deportations.
The World Bank estimated that Afghanistan’s economy grew 4.8% in Afghan fiscal year 2025, which ran from March 21, 2025, to March 20, 2026. GDP per person declined 5.6% during the same period as population growth outpaced overall economic gains. The Bank said weak investment and limited job creation were constraining economic opportunities; it also identified limited access to finance as a key business constraint.
The Belgian review said Germany had returned more than 250 Afghans since the Taliban took power in 2021. It identified at least six European countries forcibly returning Afghans convicted of crimes by October: Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Belgium and the United Kingdom.
The New York Times reported that five Taliban delegates joined more than 20 European officials for a June 23 Brussels discussion about returns. The paper said Taliban representatives also sought broader access to Afghan diplomatic missions in Europe and economic assistance.
The European Union says it does not recognize the Taliban authorities. The European Commission has said technical contacts on returns took place in Kabul in January. EU Special Envoy for Afghanistan Thomas Frellesen visited Kabul from Oct. 12 to 14. In an Oct. 15 statement, the EU delegation said he viewed restrictions on women and girls as an obstacle to normalizing relations and called for returns that protect people’s safety and dignity and proceed in an orderly way.
