Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Tuesday, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, expressed her hope that ministers meeting in Brussels would agree to lift the economic sanctions on Syria.
EU foreign ministers will discuss the relationship with Syria during an upcoming meeting in Belgium. The European Union has already relaxed sanctions concerning energy, transport, reconstruction, and related financial transactions. However, certain member states are advocating for additional relief to facilitate Damascus’s transition.
Ministers are contemplating a political move to remove economic sanctions, but they will keep those against the Assad regime and implement measures against human rights violators, Kallas stated.
“It is clear that we want there to be jobs and livelihoods for the people (in Syria), so that it would be a more stable country,”
Kallas said.
Is Brussels ready to reset ties with Damascus?
This decision follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would instruct the removal of sanctions on Syria. This month, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that after his meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Paris would advocate for the European Union to lift its sanctions during their upcoming renewal. Most sanctions enacted since 2013 are reauthorized each year on June 1.
As the World Bank estimates Syria’s reconstruction costs exceeding $250 billion, the new authorities in Syria are urging European nations to ease the strict Western sanctions placed on the previous government led by Bashar al-Assad.
Can sanctions relief support Syria’s post-war stability?
As reported earlier by Reuters, According to the new proposal dated May 14, the European Union would permit member states to fund Syria’s ministries of Defence and Interior for collaboration “in the extents of reconstruction, capacity-building, counter-terrorism and migration,” as stated in the document.
A specific provision would give EU member states greater flexibility in managing Syrian state-owned entities regarding the elimination of chemical weapons.
The updated proposal aims to remove sanctions on the Commercial Bank of Syria but will keep measures against individuals associated with Assad’s previous government.
According to sources, officials are evaluating the possibility of lifting restrictive measures on Damascus’s central bank. A joint document circulated by Italy, Germany and Austria, which was reviewed by Reuters, advocates for the removal of sanctions on Syria’s central bank and its financial associations.
