A group of 20 European countries, including Luxembourg, has called on the EU to coordinate deportations to Afghanistan, arguing that the issue should become a shared responsibility at the European level.

As reported by Tagesschau in Germany on Saturday, a group of 20 countries – including Luxembourg – has sent a letter to EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner, urging the European Commission to take additional steps to enable the deportation of people without residence permits to Afghanistan.

According to the letter, 22,870 Afghans across the EU received official deportation orders last year, but only 435 were actually returned. The signatory countries are therefore calling for both voluntary and forced returns to Afghanistan to be treated as a "shared responsibility" at the EU level.

The letter also calls for an examination of further options for deportations to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, giving priority to individuals considered a "threat to public order or national security".

Drafted at Belgium’s initiative, the letter was reportedly signed by Luxembourg, Germany, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Austria, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Cyprus. Norway also signed the letter – though not an EU member, it is part of the Schengen area and cooperates with the EU Asylum Agency.

From the German side, officials confirmed that Berlin is holding talks with the Taliban about potential deportations. According to German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU), these negotiations are "progressing well."

The contacts, however, remain politically controversial, as Germany does not officially maintain diplomatic relations with the Taliban, who have ruled Afghanistan since August 2021.