On 20 May 2026, the Greens/EFA group tabled an amendment to a joint motion for a resolution on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan, explicitly rejecting the European Commission's decision to invite Taliban representatives to Brussels. The amendment, if adopted, would escalate the Parliament's condemnation from general principles to a direct rebuke of the executive branch's engagement policy.
The amendment targets a joint motion co-authored by the PPE, S&D, ECR, and Renew groups. The original text calls for upholding non-recognition and non-normalisation based on the Council's five benchmarks, but does not mention the Commission's invitation. The Greens/EFA amendment inserts a new opening sentence: "Rejects the Commission's decision to invite the Taliban to Brussels;" — transforming the resolution into a direct political attack on a specific EU institutional action.
This move highlights a fundamental cleavage between engagement and isolation. The Greens/EFA advocate for maximalist non-engagement, viewing any official contact as legitimising the Taliban regime and undermining the Parliament's stated position, including support for ICC arrest warrants. The other groups, by contrast, appear to support conditional non-recognition based on benchmarks, tolerating diplomatic channels as a necessary tool for humanitarian access or pragmatic dialogue.
The amendment leaves the rest of the original text intact, which urges non-recognition, pressures for restoration of women's and girls' rights, and supports ICC warrants. Its sole purpose is to add this high-stakes political rebuke of the Commission.
If adopted, the amendment would signal a hardening of the Parliament's stance, potentially straining relations between the EP and the Commission. For the Taliban, it would reinforce the message that official EU engagement is politically costly. For women and girls in Afghanistan, the cleavage between isolation and engagement carries direct consequences: isolation may deny them humanitarian aid and diplomatic pressure, while engagement risks normalising a repressive regime. The amendment's rejection of the Commission's invitation could also affect EU credibility in international forums, where the bloc seeks a unified position on Afghanistan.
The resolution is scheduled for a plenary vote; the amendment's fate will depend on whether the co-author groups support or oppose this escalation. If rejected, the original joint motion will proceed without the explicit condemnation.
← Atlas › News › Foreign affairs