Germany has become the first European Union country to allow two officials appointed by the Taliban regime to operate within the Afghan diplomatic missions in Berlin and Bonn. According to the German government, their task will be to speed up the processing of documents for Afghan nationals with final deportation orders and to “support further planned deportation flights.” Berlin describes this as “purely technical” and insists it does not imply official recognition of Afghanistan’s Taliban government.
The decision comes barely a week after a charter flight repatriated 81 Afghan men convicted of crimes in Germany—the second such operation since the Taliban retook power in 2021. The deportation was conducted with Qatari mediation and is part of a broader package of measures agreed upon at a summit of interior ministers held in the Zugspitze, which called for the “normalisation” of returns to countries like Afghanistan and Syria.
Until 2024, Berlin had frozen all forced returns to Afghanistan, citing the humanitarian situation and the lack of trustworthy Afghan officials to work with following the collapse of the Western-backed government. However, the rise of the anti-immigration AfD in Germany and a string of violent attacks perpetrated by rejected asylum seekers have pushed Friedrich Merz’s government to toughen its stance. The official objective now is to drastically reduce asylum claims, secure the borders, and restart repatriation flights.
As part of that strategy, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt argues that without direct cooperation with Afghan authorities, the process is “unworkable.” The plan: for the two Taliban envoys to verify identities, issue travel documents, and accompany deportees at German airports. Dobrindt has even suggested transferring full control of the Afghan consulate to Kabul. Critics say the government is once again acting out of desperation, rushing into decisions it may later regret—a pattern seen in past migration and foreign policy U-turns.
German MPs have accused the government of “normalising” the Taliban regime. Even within the governing center-right CDU, some voices urge caution, noting that any “de facto” recognition could violate UN Security Council resolutions and undermine the EU’s common foreign policy on Afghanistan. In contrast, the AfD has welcomed the move as the “first step toward effective remigration.”
What’s striking is that only a few weeks ago Germany was criticising Russia for recognising the Taliban—and now Merz’s move effectively amounts to the same thing, albeit through another route.
What’s behind this policy shift?
Polls show that illegal immigration is now the top concern among German voters. With approximately 320,000 Afghans residing in Germany—more than 50,000 of them with rejected asylum applications—the government believes that a visible deportation policy can win back voter support and deter future migrants. Berlin also hopes this move will encourage other European countries to follow suit, as discussed informally with France, Poland, and Austria at the Alpine summit.
Paradoxically, to deport Afghans, Germany must issue service visas to envoys from the very regime responsible for driving people to seek asylum. The government is trying to square the circle: negotiating with Taliban representatives while repeatedly stating that “Germany does not recognise them.” In practice, the Taliban will gain official presence on German—and by extension, EU—soil without paying a diplomatic price.
