On 20 May 2026, The Left group in the European Parliament submitted amendments to a joint resolution on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan, aiming to sharpen the text's condemnation of the international response and explicitly reject any normalisation of diplomatic relations with the Taliban. The amendments target the EU's announced talks with Taliban representatives on the return of Afghan citizens, framing this engagement as undermining the fight against gender apartheid, and seek to legally preclude the designation of Afghanistan as a safe country for returnees.
The amendments were tabled to a joint motion for a resolution originally co-authored by the PPE, S&D, ECR, Renew, and Verts/ALE groups. The Left is the only group to propose changes, indicating a split between a hardline non-engagement stance and a more moderate, diplomatically engaged position among the joint authors.
Key changes proposed
Amendment 1 explicitly denounces the international response as "insufficient" and rejects any normalisation of diplomatic relations with the Taliban, singling out the EU's announced talks on the return of Afghan citizens as a form of normalisation to be rejected. This directly challenges the EU's current policy of engaging with the Taliban on returns.
Amendment 2 introduces a new paragraph recalling the heightened risks for returnees under the Taliban's new Criminal Procedure Code, including arbitrary detention, torture, and violence based on confession or ideological suspicion. The amendment challenges the notion that Afghanistan is a safe country, strengthening the case for suspending all forced returns and granting protection status to Afghan asylum seekers.
Impact on stakeholders
The amendments, if adopted, would have significant implications. For the European Commission and EU member states, the explicit rejection of diplomatic talks could constrain ongoing negotiations on returns, potentially slowing or halting repatriation efforts. For Afghan women and girls, the amendments would reinforce the EU's condemnation of gender apartheid and strengthen protection for asylum seekers, but could also reduce the EU's leverage to negotiate humanitarian access or safe passage. For the Taliban, the amendments signal a hardening of EU parliamentary opinion, reducing prospects for international recognition. For EU asylum agencies and national authorities, the amendments would complicate the legal basis for returns, potentially increasing the number of Afghan asylum claims accepted.
Institutional follow-up
The amendments will be debated and voted on in plenary, likely in the coming weeks. The joint motion's authors may accept or reject the changes. If adopted, the resolution would become the Parliament's official position, though it is non-binding on the Commission and Council. The Parliament's stance could influence the EU's diplomatic approach to Afghanistan, particularly on returns and engagement with the Taliban.
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