Belgium’s push for an EU-wide coordination on deporting irregular and criminal Afghan nationals has gained backing from 19 other countries, according to a letter obtained by Euractiv.
The initiative, first revealed by Euractiv’s Rapporteur earlier this week, has now been formalised in a joint letter signed by 20 European governments, and addressed to EU migration chief Magnus Brunner.
The countries urge the European Commission to enable both voluntary and forced returns of Afghans who have no legal right to stay in the bloc, especially those considered a threat to public order. They argue the EU can no longer afford inaction.
The signatories are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, and Sweden.
“We have a window of opportunity to act,” Anneleen Van Bossuyt, Belgian minister for asylum and migration, said in a statement shared with Euractiv. “It’s time for a firm and coordinated response, so the EU can regain control over migration and our security.”
The letter calls for tighter coordination between the Commission, its diplomatic arm EEAS, and willing European countries, and even suggests a joint EU mission to Afghanistan.
It also proposes giving Frontex, the EU border agency, a bigger part in organising return and reintegration efforts through the EU’s reintegration programme, Frontex’s scheme for returning individuals both voluntarily and non-voluntarily to their home countries.
At the moment, governments cover the costs themselves, which the letter says has led to “fragmented and costly approaches.” Frontex’s mandate is due for review in 2026.
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Germany is already moving ahead on its own for the return of Afghans. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said Berlin is close to sealing a deal with the Taliban authorities in Kabul to restart regular deportation flights, even if Germany doesn’t formally recognise the Taliban regime.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in office since May, also promised to speed up the expulsion of Afghan nationals convicted of crimes.
At the EU level, discussions on deportations have so far focused on Syria. At this week’s gathering of interior ministers in Luxembourg, they debated whether conditions now allow for the return, or even forced deportation, of certain categories of Syrian nationals, according to a paper seen by Euractiv.
This year, several initiatives have sought to harden the EU’s migration and asylum. In May, Denmark, Italy and nine other countries published an open letter – first reported by Euractiv – arguing that the EU’s court of human rights has leaned too far toward individual rights at the expense of national security in recent rulings.
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The article has been updated.
