We have written to the president of the Commission [1] to ask that the European External Action Service (EEAS) [2] leave no one behind in Kabul, Afghanistan. In response to the current political crisis we ask the EU to move now to arrange safe transportation and passage from the different addresses of colleagues to the airport where it is anticipated that they will be transported to safer locations via humanitarian flights. Those on the ground report that the travel situation within Afghanistan and especially within Kabul is in a total breakdown and chaos, leaving them unable to reach the airports. It is understood that the EEAS is forming a crisis-management working group and working together with Member states and other surrounding countries to arrange visas and shelter: we ask that they address the most immediate need of our colleagues first and as soon as possible, that of transport to a safer place [3].
Please show your support [4] for our affected colleagues.
Updates
- ‘I would like to thank our colleagues from the External Action Service for their hard and dedicated work over the last days and also the strong support we got from the Member States, especially France, Italy, Belgium and Spain, concerning the evacuation of the EU Delegation and the Afghan staff. I am very grateful that most of the EU’s staff, including the Afghan staff, and including their families, have been evacuated now from Afghanistan and are safe.‘ [bold not present in original] (Statement by President von der Leyen at the joint press conference with President Michel following the G7 leaders’ meeting on Afghanistan via videoconference [5], 24.08.2021)
- EU completes evacuation of its Afghanistan delegation (EFE [6], 24.08.2021)
- EU completes evacuation of diplomatic staff from Kabul but keeps ‘core team’ on the ground (euronews [7], 26.08.2021)
- Afghanistan: Joint statement of international partners on evacuation travel assurances (EEAS [8], 29.08.2021)
- ‘I would like to warmly thank all the staff of the Commission and the European External Action Service for their tremendous effort to safely evacuate to Europe our local staff and their families. The EU is committed to continue helping through humanitarian aid all those that stayed in Afghanistan or in the region.’ (Au Quotidien [9], MyIntracomm, 01.09.2021)
- As of 07.09.2021 we have not yet received a response to our note mentioned above, but the actions which have taken place have addressed the issues we raised.
- Kabul: DG ECHO colleague oversees evacuation operation “When they left, waving at us, we all cried” (Our Stories [10], MyIntracomm, 08.09.2021)