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Italy and 19 Countries in the EU, ‘more repatriations in Afghanistan’

by AI | 20.Oct 2025 | Europe in brief AI

Italy and 19 other European countries, including Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, and Hungary, are asking the EU Commission to strengthen voluntary and forced returns to Afghanistan.

Italy and half of Europe suspend asylum requests from Syrians. Photo: JOHANNES GAEVERT/sea-eye mission/dpa

Brussels (ANSA) – Italy and 19 other European countries, including Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, and Hungary, are asking the EU Commission to strengthen voluntary and forced returns to Afghanistan.

In a letter addressed to the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Magnus Brunner and the High Representative Kaja Kallas, the signing ministers emphasize that “the presence of irregular Afghan citizens in the EU requires a coordinated approach,” reiterating the need to “manage the cases of those who do not have the right” to stay.

The states also request a stronger role for Frontex in supporting returns and reintegration programs. “The situation of Afghan citizens residing irregularly in the EU requires careful and coordinated attention,” highlight the ministers from Italy, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, and Sweden.

The ministers observe that “the orderly, dignified, and safe return of Afghan people” “without legal grounds to remain, particularly those who pose a threat to public order or national security, is a necessary component of a credible and sustainable migration policy.”

“In 2024 – it is highlighted in the letter – 22,870 Afghans received a return decision in the EU, but only 435 have returned to their country of origin, with a rate of just 2%. “The organization of voluntary and forced returns to Afghanistan is a shared European challenge that requires a coherent and collective response,” warn the ministers.

The letter then proposes “an enhanced role for Frontex in supporting coordinated return and reintegration efforts in Afghanistan” and “a more centralized and coordinated mechanism” for “greater consistency and efficiency” of voluntary returns. The countries also ask the European Commission to continue working on “further possibilities for forced returns, warning of “an increase in episodes of violence by Afghan citizens” (October 18).