The Taliban are not officially recognized as Afghanistan's government by the EU or any EU member state, despite having ruled the country since 2021. Their human rights record, especially regarding women and girls, has been widely condemned.

But that has not stopped Belgium from issuing one-day visas to five Taliban officials for talks on the possible return of Afghan migrants from the EU to Afghanistan.

Jared Reed asked DW correspondent Rosie Birchard and Afghanistan expert Shagofah Ghafori from the Center for European Policy Studies whether the EU's stricter migration and asylum policies are taking precedence over human rights, what other options the bloc has — and how it should deal with people who have no legal right to stay.