On Monday, EU foreign ministers agreed in principle to gradually ease sanctions on Syria to help its economic recovery after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
The decision follows lobbying from Syria’s new leadership, the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), who pushed for sanctions relief to address the country’s dire economic situation.
The “roadmap” for easing sanctions, which will need further development, includes lifting restrictions on the energy and transport sectors, as well as key financial institutions. However, EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, emphasized, “While we aim to move fast, the lifting of sanctions can be reversed if wrong steps are taken.”
The order in which sanctions will be lifted remains unclear, with some EU member states cautious about removing sanctions on financial institutions first. Most countries prefer a gradual and reversible approach to keep pressure on Syria’s new leadership, making any easing conditional on their governance.
Syria has been under EU sanctions since the 2011 civil war, including bans on oil exports and restrictions on access to international financial systems. While sanctions on the new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and HTS will remain, Kallas confirmed that the EU would continue to target arms and other issues of concern.
