Pina Picierno, Vice-President of the European Parliament, has warned that any agreement with the Taliban would amount to recognising a regime accused of committing crimes against humanity against women.
She said members of the European Parliament oppose any normalisation of relations with the Taliban.
The warning came after the European Commission recently invited Taliban officials for talks on the return of Afghan refugees, a move criticised by several European politicians and human rights organisations.
Earlier, Hannah Neumann, a member of the European Parliament, reacted to reports of a possible Taliban visit to Brussels in the coming weeks by saying there could be no legitimacy and no deals for the Taliban.
In a critical remark, she said: “EU officials rolling out the red carpet for the Taliban in Brussels.”
The European Commission, however, insisted that the contacts do not amount to formal recognition of the Taliban and are being conducted only at a technical and operational level.
The commission also stated that no senior Taliban leaders would take part in the discussions.
Nevertheless, Picierno said on Thursday in a post on X that she had submitted a written question to the European Commission seeking clarification about the invitation extended to Taliban officials.
She asked how the commission could justify such a move while the United Nations considers the forced return of Afghan refugees contrary to international law and the Court of Justice of the European Union has rejected the deportation of Afghan women.
The vice-president of the European Parliament also referred to the parliament’s recently adopted resolution on Afghanistan, saying lawmakers had condemned widespread violations of women’s rights in the country and opposed any normalisation of relations with the Taliban.
She added that the European Parliament’s message was clear and that the institution stands alongside the democratic opposition in exile.
