The European Union will need to engage with the Taliban but it will not rush into formally recognising the Islamist militant group as the new rulers of Afghanistan, Gunnar Wiegand, the European Commission’s managing director for Asia and the Pacific said on Wednesday, Euractiv.com reports.
The Commission plans to secure funding of €300 million both this year and next to pave the way for resettlement of around 30,000 Afghans.
Wiegand said official relations with the Taliban would only come about if the group meets specific conditions, including respect for human rights and unfettered access for aid workers.
He said it was unclear whether the Taliban will be able to govern effectively, but for the EU a key condition for official relations will be establishment of an inclusive and representative transitional government.
In Europe, there are concerns Afghanistan will see a repeat of the migration crisis that overwhelmed Europe in 2015-16.
Wiegand said a European Commission plan to secure 300 million euros in 2021 and 2022 should “underpin resettlement and humanitarian admissions” to resettle of about 30,000 people.
