BRUSSELS, Belgium: Brussels on Monday proposed EU states fully restart the bloc’s cooperation agreement with Syria, in the latest step to help bolster the country after the ouster of Bashar Assad.
The deal — which abolishes customs duties on imports of most industrial products from Syria — was partially suspended in 2011 when Assad’s regime ruthlessly cracked down on protests at the start of the civil war.
The 27-nation EU has launched a new chapter with Syria since Assad’s ouster from power in December 2024 after over a decade of fighting that devastated the country and sent millions of refugees abroad.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen announced a 620-million-euro ($730 million) two-year financial support package during a visit to Damascus in January.
The bloc has also dropped economic sanctions as it looks to help the authorities under President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, a former fighter who spearheaded Assad’s expulsion, to rebuild the country and reintegrate internationally.
EU diplomats said that the push to resume the cooperation deal — which needs approval from member states — comes ahead of the launch of a new “high-level political dialogue” with Syria next month.
The EU could also look to strike a more ambitious deal to deepen ties with Damascus, the diplomats said.
Since Sharaa has been in power, sectarian tensions have continued to cause bloodshed in Syria, while the Daesh group remains at large.
Some European countries have expressed interest in seeing refugees who came from Syria during the civil war return to their homeland.
