EU Restores Ties with Syria, Lifts Sanctions on Key Ministers
The bloc will lift duties on most Syrian industrial imports and pledged 620 million euros in aid as it seeks to support recovery and future returns.
- On Monday, May 11, 2026, the European Council terminated the partial suspension of a cooperation agreement with Syria, restoring fuller trade ties as the country emerges from nearly 14 years of war.
- The European Union aims to bolster Syria's economic recovery to create sustainable conditions for migrant returns, as Syrian nationals have comprised the lion's share of asylum-seekers across the bloc.
- Foreign Ministers convened in Brussels on Monday with top Syrian diplomat Asaad Al-Shaibani to initiate a high-level "political dialogue," 18 months after the ouster of Bashar Assad.
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz faced backlash after suggesting 80 percent of Syrian refugees could return within three years, as Germany—home to more than a million Syrians—remains central to the return debate.
- While the EU pledged 620 million euros in aid for 2026-2027, experts like Julien Barnes-Dacey warn that economic conditions remain insufficient to persuade Syrians to leave Europe in the near term.
35 Articles
35 Articles
Syrian FM speaks to Euronews after landmark EU-Syria talks
Our Europe Editor Maria Tadeo speaks exclusively to Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani following this week’s landmark EU-Syria talks, which saw the agreement from both sides to fully restore trade and diplomatic ties.
Eyeing migrant returns, EU moves to bolster Syria ties
The European Union on Monday revived its cooperation agreement with Syria as it looks to bolster the war-ravaged country, with an eye on prospects for Syrian migrants in Europe to one day return home. Meeting in Brussels, EU foreign ministers agreed to fully reinstate the bloc's cooperation agreement with Syria ahead of talks with its top diplomat Asaad al-Shaibani. An agreement was also reached on lifting the sanctions on Syria's interior and d…
The EU states have agreed to re-implement the cooperation agreement with Syria in full.
DECRYPTAGE - During a visit to his counterparts in Brussels, the Syrian Foreign Minister obtained the restoration of a cooperation agreement suspended since 2011. Some European countries are now considering the return of refugees to their country.
Relations between the EU and Syria have rapidly recovered.
The European Union is going to restore the partially frozen trade agreement with Syria, European foreign ministers announced on Monday in Brussels…
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