EU Member States Disagree Over Forced Deportation of Afghans

Concerns Over Refugee Crisis Reemerging in Europe Due to Taliban Forces Expansion

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] As the security situation in Afghanistan has recently deteriorated, disagreements have emerged among European Union (EU) member states over the forced deportation of Afghans whose asylum applications have been rejected within the EU.

According to major foreign media on the 12th (local time), Notis Mitarakis, Greece's Minister for Migration, said the day before that if the deportation of Afghans whose asylum applications have been rejected is stopped, "more people will try to come to the EU."

Last month, the Afghan government requested the EU to suspend forced deportations of its nationals whose asylum applications were rejected for three months until October, citing poor security conditions due to ongoing battles with the Islamic armed group Taliban.

Accordingly, Sweden and Finland have suspended deportations to Afghanistan.

On the other hand, six EU member states including Greece, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Belgium sent a letter to the European Commission, the EU's executive body, urging it not to halt the deportation of Afghans whose asylum applications have been rejected.

However, the German and Dutch governments changed their stance on the 11th, deciding to suspend forced deportations of Afghans for the time being, considering the rapidly worsening conflict situation in Afghanistan.

Austria stated it would maintain its existing position, while Denmark and Belgium declined to comment.

In Afghanistan, the withdrawal of international allied forces including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany is nearly complete, allowing the Taliban to rapidly expand its influence and push government forces onto the defensive.

As a result, there are forecasts that the fall of the Taliban's capital, Kabul, could occur sooner than expected.

Many EU member states are concerned that the situation in Afghanistan could trigger a repeat of the 2015-2016 European refugee crisis, when over one million people flooded into Europe from the Middle East.

Minister Mitarakis said, "The EU neither has the capacity nor the preparedness to handle another serious refugee crisis," and emphasized that the EU should strengthen support so that Turkey, Greece's neighboring country, can accommodate more people coming from Afghanistan.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.