European Commission: Afghan Returns Must Follow International Law mursaleen Sat, 06/27/2026 - 16:35 Author Mitra Majeedy Profile Photo Author Job Journalist Afghanistan Five days after the European Union held talks with the Islamic Emirate on the return of Afghan migrants accused or convicted of crimes, a European Commission spokesperson said that decisions on returning Afghan criminal offenders are the responsibility of individual EU member states, not the European Commission. Markus Lammert also stressed that any return of such individuals must be carried out in accordance with EU law, international law, and fundamental human rights principles. "One point that must always be kept in mind is that the implementation of return procedures falls under the responsibility of the EU member states.