Afghanistan: EU seeks to speed up repatriations to Taliban-ruled country

Brussels – For the sake of guaranteeing public order and combating illegal immigration, the EU’s national governments are now thinking of a tightening of reception policies without distinction, with forced returns even to Syria and Afghanistan. Pressing the issue are particularly Austria and Sweden, the leaders of a line of reasoning that seems to clash with the concept of security of the person, in countries – Syria and Afghanistan – where respect for individuals and their rights is to be verified. 

According to Austrian Interior Minister, Gerhard Karner, “it is now clear to everyone that Europe must become tougher and tougher in the fight against illegal migration,” which “also means proceeding with consistent repatriations of criminals and irregular migrants, including to countries such as Syria and Afghanistan,” he said on his arrival in Luxembourg for the proceedings of the Home Affairs Council.

 Austria’s stance shows a shift to the right not only of an EU member state but of the EU as a whole, which is ready to sacrifice those much-vaunted values in dealing with the Taliban government in power in Afghanistan, an approach that, moreover, causes considerable embarrassment. The EU says it does not recognize the Taliban, yet at the same time, it is reportedly already working to send men and women back to the South Asian country who are otherwise on their way to the EU and are already present on EU soil..

The need to counteract irregular migration flows and to ensure safety on the streets prompts states to accelerate on a path that was unthinkable until recently. “We have to repatriate immigrants who have committed serious crimes here in Sweden,” and in Europe, sums up Johan Forssell, the Swedish Minister of the Interior, who is also convinced that “after having made progress on Syria, it is time to speed up on Afghanistan as well.” It matters little what may happen afterward, once they have returned to a country where there are no guarantees of personal safety and where the risk of persecution cannot be excluded.

 After all, the Danish EU Council Presidency has made a change of course that meets the concerns and demands of national governments, paving the way for easier repatriations to third countries that are not exactly safe. However, the Danish choice is part of a political decision by EU institutions, which bet on the new Syrian leadership, represented by an organization the EU itself recognizes as a terrorist.