Will the Taliban takeover lead to a new European refugee crisis?

Since 2015, European nations have fortified their borders, meaning large flows of refugees are unlikely, analysts say.
As European countries struggle to respond to the Taliban’s swift conquest of Afghanistan, questions about whether the continent would witness a significant surge in asylum seekers are surfacing.

On Monday, amid scenes of mayhem at Kabul airport, when thousands of Afghans desperately tried to board the few planes leaving the country, EU leaders promised to protect Afghan personnel who worked with their militaries and diplomatic staff.

Many others, however, are concerned about the likelihood of significant numbers of Afghan refugees fleeing the nation and making their way to Europe.

On Tuesday, EU foreign ministers will hold an emergency video conference to discuss the crisis. They will likely debate the security situation as well as the likelihood of rising migration to Europe.

French President Emmanuel Macron promised to safeguard “those who are most at risk” in a televised address on Monday, and said he would work with Germany to devise a strategy to manage growing migration from Afghanistan.

“We must foresee and protect ourselves from big irregular migratory flows that harm people who use them and feed all types of trafficking,” he warned.

More than one million migrants, mostly from Syria, came in Europe in 2015, igniting a political backlash in many countries and fundamentally altering official attitudes toward migration.