The EU is also lifting economic sanctions against Syria

This article was last updated on May 20, 2025

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The EU is also lifting economic sanctions against Syria

The European Union lifts the economic sanctions against Syria. Agreement has been reached between the EU countries.

All Member States must agree to scrap sanctions. The Netherlands would rather have seen that the sanctions would be reduced slowly, and could also be re -implemented. With this, the EU could put pressure on the new Syrian authorities if the violence in the country flared up again.

But the Netherlands does not want to be isolated, and opportunities to invest in Syria also play a role. This requires security in the long term. That is why Minister Veldkamp also agrees to lift the sanctions.

A number of conditions have been agreed in Brussels, if it is still going in the wrong direction in Syria, new measures will be introduced quickly. With the elimination of economic sanctions, according to sources, the EU also wants to establish individual sanctions against people and organizations that have been involved in flared violence in recent times.

The regime of dictator Bashar al-Assad fell at the end of last year, after a quarter of a century. Since then, an interim government has taken over the board in the country.

Trump

At the beginning of this year, the EU has The first sanctions against Syria cancelled. Last week US President Trump met the new president of Syria, Ahmed Sharaa, in Saudi Arabia. There he said The measures against the country want to cancel. “It’s their moment to shine. We remove all sanctions,” said Trump.

The conditions were that there were no foreign jihadists, who were part of Sharaa’s rebel group HTS, getting government positions in Syria. The country should also act against armed groups in the country.

Sharaa has the task of getting the fully collapsed economy in the country on top. The country suffered from economic measures since 1979, and they were tightened in 2011. This tightening followed in response to the brutal action of the Assad regime in the Syrian Civil War.

But lifting those sanctions seems easier than it actually is. A day after Trump’s statement, the White House that had been asked to deport “Palestinian terrorists” and sign the Abraham agreements.

Under that agreement, a number of Arab countries, during Trumps first presidency, entered into relations with Israel. According to experts, Syria will only enter into these relations if Saudi Arabia does. “At the moment, in view of the still weak domestic position of Sharaa, that would be political suicide,” said the Reinoud Leenders.

‘Stable Land’

EU-BuitenlandChef Kaja Kallas said earlier hoping that the ministers in Brussels would reach agreement, despite the worries about which side it goes with the new government. According to her, a number of “very intensive discussions have been conducted” about this.

“It is clear that we hope for jobs and livelihoods for people in Syria,” said Kallas. “This way it can become a more stable country.”