The European Union has confirmed it has opened preliminary communication with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) as part of efforts to increase the deportation of failed Afghan asylum seekers from Europe.

EU spokesperson Markus Lammert told reporters in Brussels on Monday that the European Commission had begun “exploratory contacts at technical level” with the IEA authorities in Kabul earlier this year to improve coordination among member states on migration returns.

The move follows growing pressure from within the bloc, after 20 EU member states — led by Belgium — signed a joint letter urging Brussels to engage with the IEA to facilitate both voluntary and forced repatriations.

“We are unable to return irregular Afghan nationals, even after a conviction,” Belgian migration minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt said in a statement. “This undermines public trust in asylum policy and affects our collective security. It is time for Europe to act together.”

The letter was also signed by Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Sweden. Many of these countries have been calling for a tougher stance on migration amid growing domestic concern and the rise of hard-right political movements across Europe.

According to EU data, fewer than 20 percent of migrants ordered to leave the 27-member bloc are returned to their countries of origin.

Sweden’s migration minister, Johan Forssell, told AFP that member states could share resources to facilitate deportations.

“There could be joint planes to Afghanistan,” he said, adding that an EU team had already held technical discussions in Kabul. “We need to find common solutions here.”

The EU continues to maintain a limited diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, though Brussels has stressed that such engagement “does not bestow any legitimacy” on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Contacts have so far been confined to areas such as humanitarian assistance and development.