What changed

B100426/2025

B100416/2025

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Afghanistan: supporting women and communities affected by the recent earthquakes

The European Parliament,

– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,

– having regard to Council Decision 2011/486/CFSP of 1 August 2011 concerning restrictive measures directed against certain individuals, groups, undertakings and entities in view of the situation in Afghanistan,

– having regard to itsthe previousEU-Afghanistan resolutionsJoint Declaration on Afghanistan,Migration Cooperation, signed on 26 April 2021,

– having regard to the ongoing Trans-Afghan Railway project and regional connectivity initiatives,

– having regard to the recognition of the Taliban government by several countries in 2025,

– having regard to China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Afghanistan’s expressed interest in participation,

– having regard to the findings of the 2024 revision of the UN World Population Prospects with regard to Afghanistan’s demographic development,

– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas on 31 August 2025 a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan affecting Kunar and neighbouring provinces, killing and injuring thousands and leaving tens of thousands in urgent need of shelter, medical care and protection;

A. whereas Afghanistan is facing a severe crisis characterised by economic collapse, poverty and food insecurity; whereas this crisis is exacerbated by natural disasters such as devastating earthquakes and floods;

B. whereas women and children have been disproportionately affected by this disaster and are especially vulnerable in the context of the strict Sharia law imposed by the Taliban, which is limiting women’s access to aid, healthcare, assistance and shelter;

B. whereas on 31 August 2025, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 struck the province of Kunar in eastern Afghanistan, killing around 3 000 people, injuring around 4 000 and destroying 8 000 homes; whereas at least 17 aftershocks had been felt by 1 September 2025; whereas the most severe aftershock struck the region on 4 September 2025; whereas Afghanistan lies in a seismically active region, where earthquakes are fairly common as a result of tectonic activity;

C. whereas the Taliban’s restrictions on female aid workers and their wider anti-women policies have impeded life-saving assistance, with the World Health Organization and UN agencies urging the Taliban to lift travel and workplace restrictions on women humanitarian staff to ensure access to women and girls in need;

C. whereas Afghanistan’s population has more than doubled since the beginning of the century, increasing from approximately 19.5 million in 2000 to over 40 million in 2021; whereas Afghanistan’s population is projected to reach around 76.9 million by mid-2050; whereas Afghanistan’s dramatic population growth and extremely high birth rate can primarily be attributed to cultural factors and religious beliefs within Afghan society;

D. whereas disruptions to telecommunications, road access and essential services further impede rescue, aid delivery and humanitarian coordination;

D. whereas the EU provided Afghanistan with more than EUR 4 billion between the end of 2001 and 2020; whereas between 2003 and 2020, more than 20 % of the EU’s total spending on Afghanistan was specifically aimed at supporting governance and civil society and improving women’s rights;

1. Expresses solidarity with the victims of the earthquake of 31 August 2025 that killed and injured thousands, leaving tens of thousands in urgent need of shelter, medical care and protection;

E. whereas since 2021, the EU has provided over EUR 860 million in humanitarian funding for Afghanistan; whereas the EU’s humanitarian aid provision for Afghanistan in 2025 is set to total EUR 161 million;

2. Condemns the restrictive policies and operational constraints imposed by the Taliban authorities, which have exacerbated the humanitarian impact, hindered access to services for women, and slowed the delivery of life-saving aid; calls on the Taliban to immediately lift restrictions that prevent female humanitarian staff from travelling and working freely;

F. whereas the EU is donating EUR 1 million in humanitarian funds and 130 tonnes of in-kind assistance to Afghanistan in response to the recent earthquakes;

3. Strongly condemns the systemic denial of women’s and girls’ fundamental rights in Afghanistan, including bans on education, employment and freedom of movement, as well as the mandatory wearing of the burqa; condemns the restrictions against women and girls, which prevent them from accessing essential services after the earthquake; recalls that these restrictive measures constitute a strict and direct application of Sharia law, causing a massive regression in women’s rights in Afghanistan and in other parts of the world;

G. whereas for years, Afghans have been one of the main nationalities reported as having illegally crossed the EU’s external borders; whereas Afghanistan has also been one of the main countries of origin for asylum applications in the EU; whereas there was a record increase in the inflow of Afghans in 2015 when former German Chancellor Angela Merkel opened Germany’s borders, with the number of Afghan immigrants exceeding 200 000; whereas at the end of June 2021, 82 000 of the 703 000 asylum applications still pending in EU countries had been filed by Afghans, mostly in Germany and France;

4. Demands and calls for strict controls to guarantee that international aid is not seized by the de facto Taliban authorities; underlines that humanitarian and financial aid must go to the civilian victims of the earthquake as intended and not benefit the Taliban;

H. whereas the complete lack of progress on returns of Afghans prompted the EU to sign the Joint Declaration on Migration Cooperation (JDMC) with Afghanistan in April 2021 to facilitate and accelerate returns; whereas the JDMC was suspended after the Taliban took over in August 2021;

5. Stresses that the degrading humanitarian situation in Afghanistan will increase migratory pressure on Europe; recalls that Afghan asylum seekers are overwhelmingly male and are over-represented in crime rates in several European countries; considers, therefore, that the humanitarian response should be delivered directly in Afghanistan and in no way should consist of welcoming more Afghans to the EU;

I. whereas in August 2025, Reform UK announced new plans to return around 600 000 illegal migrants within five years of a Reform government coming to power, including by way of returns agreements with countries such as Iran, Eritrea and Afghanistan; whereas the Taliban regime has indicated its readiness and willingness to take back deported illegal migrants; whereas the US administration’s decision to end the legal status of thousands of Afghans enables their return to Afghanistan; whereas it is reported that the Trump administration and the Taliban are ‘working together’ to fight Islamist terrorism; whereas several European countries, including Germany, Switzerland and Austria, have sent delegations to Afghanistan or have hosted Taliban officials on their territory in order to facilitate returns of Afghans;

6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Commission, the UN, relevant international donors and the de facto authorities in Afghanistan.

J. whereas on 4 October 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) confirmed that gender and nationality were sufficient grounds to grant Afghan women asylum;

K. whereas the Taliban’s diplomacy in Central Asia is increasingly focused on economic cooperation, prioritising infrastructure development and promoting trade expansion; whereas Afghanistan is working with Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan in the field of border security;

L. whereas Afghanistan possesses mineral resources valued at up to USD 3 trillion, including substantial deposits of lithium, copper and rare earth elements, all of which are essential for modern industry;

M. whereas Afghanistan serves as a crucial transit corridor connecting Central Asia with South Asia and the Arabian Sea and has major infrastructure projects under way, including the Trans-Afghan Railway, which is valued at USD 4.8 billion; whereas Afghanistan’s integration into China’s Belt and Road Initiative could fundamentally alter the region’s economic dynamics;

N. whereas China has invested significantly in Afghanistan’s extractive sector, including through a USD 540 million oil extraction contract in the Amu Darya basin;

O. whereas various Central Asian countries continue to cooperate with Afghanistan in the field of energy despite its international isolation, demonstrating the country’s regional integration;

P. whereas according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, by July 2025, Afghanistan’s diplomatic presence abroad had increased significantly to 23 missions that are run by and/or cooperate with the Taliban regime; whereas this includes the appointment of Taliban ambassadors to the UAE (August 2024), Pakistan (May 2025), Türkiye (June 2025) and Russia (July 2025) and of Taliban chargés d’affaires in Egypt, Indonesia and Oman;

Q. whereas the absence of formal diplomatic relations severely hampers effective cooperation on migration management and return procedures;

1. Expresses its condolences to the families of the victims of the recent earthquakes and its sympathy with their plight;

2. Is deeply concerned by the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan and the potential spillover effects;

3. Expresses its grave concern that decades of extensive international aid have not generated any economic growth in Afghanistan; considers that the disbursement of EU funds to Afghanistan should be conditional upon the country’s cooperation in the return of Afghan nationals residing illegally in the EU;

4. Notes that the large-scale provision of EU development aid to Afghanistan has not had the desired results; demands that all aid to Afghanistan be suspended if the Afghan Government does not cooperate in the return to Afghanistan of Afghan citizens who are residing illegally in the EU;

5. Deplores the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan; decries the fact that the Taliban have denied girls post-primary education, banned women from numerous public places and restricted women’s employment to healthcare and primary education; is of the opinion that these highly restrictive norms have a very negative economic and social impact;

6. Calls for the EU to change its strategy and pursue technical cooperation and diplomacy with the aim of achieving concrete, visible results with regard to girls’ and women’s rights and their access to education;

7. Expresses deep concern about the consequences of mass migration by Afghans for the freedom and security of women and girls across Europe; notes that official statistics show that Afghans are disproportionately involved in the perpetration of sexual crimes throughout Europe;

8. Emphasises that direct technical cooperation between the EU and its Member States and Afghanistan is a prerequisite for the effective return of Afghans from EU Member States;

9. Encourages the Member States to make technical arrangements with Afghanistan in order to facilitate returns of Afghans;

10. Calls on Afghanistan to reintegrate returned Afghans;

11. Is concerned by the CJEU’s judgment of 4 October 2024, according to which gender and nationality are sufficient grounds for asylum; considers that this judgment will distort the overall purpose of asylum mechanisms, create an additional ‘pull effect’ and lead to unequal access to protection, as a certain group of people can be granted automatic preference in obtaining asylum; strongly condemns the fact that the EU’s highest court of law is changing asylum law in order to promote its own views on social justice;

12. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the European External Action Service, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, and the Taliban regime.