Syria: EU decides to end economic sanctions

Around six months after the overthrow of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad, the foreign ministers of the EU member states have decided to completely lift economic sanctions against Syria . This was announced by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas in Brussels. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said they would give the new Syrian leadership a chance, but expect a policy that includes all population and religious groups. It is important that there is a united Syria that can take its future into its own hands. According to the agreed approach, only sanctions against individuals and organizations with links to the Assad regime or responsibility for the violent repression of the Syrian people, as well as for human rights violations, will be retained. In addition, export restrictions on weapons, goods, and technology used for internal repression will remain in place for the time being. These include, for example, wiretapping and surveillance software. The EU member states had already agreed in February to a gradual easing of sanctions to support a rapid economic recovery as well as the reconstruction and stabilization of the country. Measures in the energy, transport, and banking sectors were initially suspended until June. However, far-reaching restrictions on the central bank, among others, initially remained in place. With this approach, the EU is following the course of the new US President Donald Trump, who announced last week the lifting of all US sanctions. The EU also hopes that once the country has stabilized, hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees in the EU will one day be able to return to their homeland. For many years, Syrians had made up a large proportion of the refugees arriving in the EU. The EU explained that the lifting of sanctions was taking place despite the recent outbreaks of violence between different population groups in Syria, citing a lack of alternatives. While there are still doubts as to whether the government is moving in the right direction, said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, in her view there is no choice. The country must be allowed to stabilize in order to avoid a development like that in Afghanistan.