EU asylum agency: Afghan women qualify for refugee status on gender alone

The EU Agency for Asylum's June 2026 guidance says Afghan women may qualify as refugees based solely on gender and nationality. That same month, 15 European ambassadors met Taliban officials in Brussels to discuss returning Afghan refugees. Germany lifted its deportation ban to Kabul in 2024. About 500,000 Afghans have sought EU asylum since the Taliban took power in 2021.