Virginie Jacob, senior advisor on Migration Framing the ongoing dialogue as ‘operational talks’ is an attempt to downgrade the cooperation and dodge a possible public backlash,” 

Virginie Jacob, senior advisor on Migration at the Brussels-based think tank European Policy Centre (EPC) admits that any further step will be taken in a very discreet way, as liaising with the Taliban is still widely perceived as a red line by European public opinion.

“Framing the ongoing dialogue as ‘operational talks’ is an attempt to downgrade the cooperation and dodge a possible public backlash,” she told Euronews.

...

“EU countries seem ready to establish diplomatic channels, challenging public opinion, to achieve their goal of increasing deportations,” Jacob said. At this stage, she considers it unlikely that the EU would offer financial compensation to Kabul’s authorities, as has been the case with other third countries incentivised to take back their nationals.

What makes the 2026 World Cup so political? What does the entry of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact mean in reality? The two questions we answer on Brussels, My Love? the podcast.

“Return hubs will allow member states to send people back in a country where they have no connections and this is of course an advantage for avoiding bottlenecks about the procedures,” Jacob explained to Euronews.

Jacob believes today marks the start of a transition phase, as the pact represents a large-scale reform that cannot be ‘flipped overnight in one day’. However, if the implementation works well, Jacob is positive about the outcome: “It could help with mutual trust between member states and cooperation, she said.