EU countries have agreed to lift economic sanctions on Syria

EU countries have agreed to lift all remaining economic sanctions on Syria to support the country’s recovery following the fall from power of Bashar al-Assad, The New Arab and agencies reported on May 20th.

“Today, we took the decision to lift our economic sanctions on Syria,” said the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas on X after a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels, Belgium. “We want to help the Syrian people rebuild a new, inclusive and peaceful Syria.”

Ambassadors from the 27 EU member states reached an intitial agreement, which foreign ministers plan to formally announce during their meeting in Brussels. The decision follows the recent announcement by US President Donald Trump that Washington will also lift its sanctions on Syria.

Syria’s new leadership has consistently called for an end to international sanctions, which sanctioning countries imposed after Assad’s violent crackdown sparked a prolonged civil war.

EU diplomats confirmed that the agreement will lift sanctions that isolated Syrian banks from the global financial system and froze the country’s central bank assets, Al Jazeera reported on May 20th. However, the EU intends to introduce new individual sanctions targeting those inciting ethnic tensions. This move responds to recent deadly attacks against the Alawite minority.

The EU will retain other sanctions aimed at preventing repression. These include restrictions on the sale of weapons and equipment that armed groups could use against civilians, and measures that directly target the Assad regime.

This latest decision follows an earlier step by the EU in February, when officials suspended sanctions on major sectors of the Syrian economy. Officials warned that the bloc could reinstate sanctions if Syria’s new rulers fail to uphold minority rights or abandon democratic commitments.

The New Arab and agencies, Al Jazeera