Brussels – As Syria goes through a major transformation following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime on Dec. 19, 2024, to support and stabilize the political transition process and the effort to rebuild the economy, the EU has begun to take concrete steps and ensure peaceful relations with the Middle Eastern country. These initiatives took a substantial step forward today (Feb. 24) with the EU Council’s decision to suspend several restrictive measures previously imposed on the Syrian regime and in place for over a decade.
“This includes the transport, energy, and banking sectors,” specified EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas at the Foreign Affairs Council. The easing, already announced on Jan. 24, includes suspending measures imposed on the gas, oil, and electricity sectors and extending pre-existing humanitarian exceptions to sanctions indefinitely. Four banking institutions and Syrian Arab Airlines are removed from the list of entities subject to freezing of funds and economic resources so that they can be made available to the Central Bank of Syria. At the same time, there is the introduction of exceptions to the prohibition on establishing relations between Syrian banks and financial institutions in the territory of the EU to permit transactions related to the transportation and energy sectors, as well as those necessary for reconstruction and humanitarian purposes.
It is evident how the measures undertaken by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militia leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, aka Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, have been greeted with optimism by Brussels, especially after the disbanding of all militias (including HTS) and the convening of the conference tasked with drafting the country’s new Constitution.
The Council will consider whether it could suspend further sanctions and will monitor the situation in Syria to ensure that such suspensions remain appropriate. It is essential to point out that sanctions related to the fallen Assad regime and those against the chemical and conventional weapons sector, illicit drug trafficking, import/export of cultural heritage goods, dissent suppression software, and surveillance systems will remain in place. On Mar. 17, the ninth conference for Syria is scheduled in Brussels, aimed at further mobilizing support for the country.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
