The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced on Tuesday 24 August, ahead of the G7 leaders’ videoconference, that the Commission would allocate more than €200 million in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan for 2021. These funds will be in addition to the contributions of the EU Member States.
On 21 August, Ms von der Leyen had announced that the budget for this year was over €57 million, but that she wanted to increase it (see EUROPE 12774/2). Speaking to the media after the G7 videoconference, she said the funds were intended to help Afghans, both in their own country and in neighbouring countries.
According to European Commission spokesperson Balazs Ujvari, while there are “a limited number of Commission staff from our humanitarian department on the ground”, the partners the Commission works with remain engaged on the ground. “Therefore, we do not see any interruption in our humanitarian engagement in the country”, he explained.
Finalising evacuation operations
In addition to humanitarian aid, the G7 leaders discussed the evacuation of Westerners and Afghans who had collaborated with them. As 31 August—the date of the withdrawal of US forces—approaches, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, stressed the need to secure the airport “for as long as necessary”, to complete the evacuation operations and to have “fair and equitable access” to the airport for all nationals entitled to evacuation. “We call on the new Afghan authorities to allow free passage to all foreign and Afghan citizens who wish to travel to the airport”, he added.
Ms von der Leyen announced that the majority of EU staff and Afghans who assisted her “have been extracted and are safe”. According to the Commission, all EU delegation staff and their families who were to be evacuated have been evacuated. “There is still a core presence at the airport to deal with what needs to be dealt with there”, a spokesperson said. According to a European source, more than 400 people have already been evacuated and operations are continuing.
Mr Michel also promised that the EU would do its part to provide security and decent living conditions for Afghans fleeing their country. “We will work with countries in the region—including Iran, Pakistan, and Central Asia—to address the different needs”, he said, adding that international protection would be needed for those facing persecution and other vulnerable Afghans. “EU Member States will contribute to this international effort”, he promised.
The President of the European Council also warned that the EU was determined to keep migration flows under control and the EU’s borders protected.
For its part, the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU has started discussions at the level of the preparatory bodies of the Council of the EU on the Union’s response to the current developments in Afghanistan, in particular from the point of view of home affairs, including the possible impact on migration, cooperation, and assistance on migration with the main neighbouring countries, and security-related issues, an EU source told EUROPE.
On Thursday, Slovenia convened a meeting of the Member States’ ambassadors to the EU to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and its consequences. A meeting of Interior Ministers could also be convened quickly on the subject, according to one source.
Meanwhile, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio announced that his country—which currently holds the G20 presidency—was working on the idea of organising an ad hoc summit to promote the debate on Afghanistan.
What will relations be with the Taliban?
While the Europeans are discussing with the Taliban practical measures to evacuate their nationals, “the question of potential recognition is not on the table at all at the moment”, Ms von der Leyen stressed.
Mr Michel said it was “too early” to decide what kind of relationship the EU would develop with the new Afghan authorities.
He said that if the EU wanted to remain “a positive influence for the Afghan people, including supporting their basic needs”, it would have to deal with these authorities. But this will be subject to strict conditions regarding the actions and attitude of the new regime, especially in terms of preserving political, economic, and social gains and human rights of its citizens, but also in terms of Afghanistan’s international obligations—in particular security, counter-terrorism and drug trafficking, he warned.
The attitude of the Taliban will also determine the continuation of development aid. €1 billion was initially planned for the period 2021-2027.
See the G7 joint statement: https://bit.ly/3muASn2 (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)