Regardless of sanctions towards the Taliban regime, commerce between European international locations and Afghanistan has seen a slight enhance this yr. The Taliban’s Ministry of Business and Commerce stated that “commerce between Afghanistan and European international locations is presently working easily, with the quantity of commerce between the 2 sides having elevated in comparison with final yr.”
In accordance with Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Business and Commerce, “Within the first eight months of 2025, Afghanistan’s exports to European international locations totaled greater than $17 million, whereas imports from these international locations reached almost $143 million. These international locations embody Germany, Sweden, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, and plenty of others.”
Moreover, based on Afghanistan’s Chamber of Commerce and Funding, commerce relations between the EU and Afghanistan have been increasing regardless of the shortage of services, together with transit and enterprise visa services, together with the standardization of export merchandise. On this regard, Afghanistan’s Chamber of Commerce and Funding spokesperson, Jan Aqa Naveed, stated, “There’s excessive demand for Afghan merchandise in European markets. Luckily, our exports to European international locations proceed. Nonetheless, challenges stay, and Afghanistan wants bilateral agreements with international locations positioned alongside the routes resulting in the European Union — notably alongside the Lapis Lazuli hall.”
The Lapis Lazuli Hall was opened in 2018 and connects Afghanistan to Europe through Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey.
The EU is one in all Afghanistan’s vital buying and selling companions after its instant neighbors, together with Iran, China, India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. Afghanistan is a beneficiary of the European Union’s “Every little thing however Arms (EBA)” association as a result of its least-developed nation standing. In 2023, Afghanistan’s complete commerce with the Union amounted to 148 million euros, accounting for 3.6 % of Afghanistan’s complete commerce. In 2024, the full commerce between the EU and Afghanistan climbed to 302 million euros, with 39 million euros being Afghanistan’s exports to the EU and 263 million euros in imports from the EU.
In accordance with the European Fee, the EU was Afghanistan’s seventh largest buying and selling accomplice by way of complete commerce, as its fifth largest exporting accomplice and seventh largest importing accomplice in 2024.
Regardless of the rise in commerce with the EU, Afghanistan continues to be confronted with challenges that would additional create hindrances to commerce. Components corresponding to commerce prices (together with excessive transportation prices as a result of lack of infrastructure, which forces reliance on air corridors), international alternate prices, prices associated to distribution of products on the native stage, together with coverage challenges together with tariffs, have restricted Afghanistan’s commerce with the EU.
These challenges have been worsened by the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul 4 years in the past. The EU sanctions towards the Taliban, the de facto rulers of the nation, have made the scenario worse not just for commerce but additionally for the widespread Afghans. At present, the EU sanctions regime applies to 5 Afghan entities and 135 people. It additionally consists of the freezing of belongings.
The EU, nonetheless, has been offering humanitarian support to Afghanistan. In 2025, the EU offered over 161 million euros in humanitarian support to Afghanistan via accomplice organizations, together with U.N. businesses, worldwide and nongovernmental organizations. Previous to the Taliban’s takeover, the EU offered cooperation help and improvement support to Afghanistan. Since August 2021, the EU has put in place particular measures to make sure that the individuals of Afghanistan obtain advantages however that no funding goes to the Taliban.
The EU, together with the worldwide group, doesn’t acknowledge the Taliban regime because the official consultant of the Afghan individuals. It maintains the stance that recognition is feasible solely in case the regime respects worldwide obligations.
Nonetheless, Afghanistan was the most important beneficiary on this planet of EU improvement support, at over 4 billion euros, between the autumn of the primary Taliban regime and its return to energy in August 2021.
In accordance with the European Parliament’s “Delegation for Relations Afghanistan (D-AF)” report, earlier than U.S. and NATO forces withdrew from Afghanistan, Afghanistan-EU relations have been carried out below the Cooperation Settlement on Partnership and Growth, which was signed in 2017 and authorised by the European Parliament in 2019.
The EU adopted an Afghanistan technique in 2017, which meant to set a framework for the EU’s work within the nation in cooperation with the Afghan authorities, civil society, and different stakeholders for a democratic and peaceable nation. The autumn of Kabul to the Taliban led the EU to redefine its insurance policies and place vis-à-vis Afghanistan. It maintains its engagement with Afghan civil society in addition to with the Taliban to be able to search dialogue via its delegation in Kabul which reopened in January 2022.
Given the prevailing boundaries to commerce, along with sanctions, increasing commerce with the EU holds nice significance for Taliban rule in Afghanistan. But it surely nonetheless doesn’t equate into recognition for the regime. Not one of the EU member states has any diplomatic missions in Afghanistan, nor have they allowed any Taliban envoys to take part in Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions of their respective international locations, apart from Germany, which not too long ago allowed Taliban envoys within the nation to rearrange the deportation of Afghans. The EU’s stance with respect to recognition for the Taliban is evident: an inclusive authorities with respect for human rights, with out which trivial will increase in commerce is not going to convey any important aid for crisis-ridden Afghanistan.