EU agrees to lift economic sanctions on Syria

The European Union has decided to lift its economic sanctions on Syria, the bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday.

"Today, we took the decision to lift our economic sanctions on Syria," Kallas said in a post on social media platform X.

"We want to help the Syrian people rebuild a new, inclusive and peaceful Syria."

Some EU sanctions against Syria to remain in place

The bloc had already discussed lifting sanctions back in February, expressing a desire to support the rapid economic recovery in Syria after over a decade of civil war wrought widespread destruction.

However, not all EU sanctions will be lifted.

Individuals and organizations with connections to the regime of Bashar Assad, as well as those responsible for brutal repression and human rights violations, will remain under sanction.

The EU will also maintain its export restrictions on weapons and goods and technologies that are used for domestic repression.

The decision to lift sanctions came after President Donald Trump said last week he would order the lifting of US sanctions against Syria.

Europe's apprehensive support

Despite Tuesday's announcement, there is still concern in Brussels that the new Syrian government may not be heading in the right direction. These fears have been highlighted by recent clashes between different groups.

The new government was set up by militants from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group that shocked the world in December with a lightning advance that brought an end to decades of rule by the Assad family.

The group's Islamist ideology has been a major cause for concern in Europe, but the years of conflict as well as a growing instability in the wider region have left little room for manouver.

"I think we don't have a choice," Kallas said of the decision to lift sanctions.

"We are giving the Syrian regime a chance, but we expect an inclusive policy within the country that includes all population and religious groups," Germany's new Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said.

Edited by: Richard Connor