Syria – Decision to lift european economic sanctions (20 May 2025)

During the Foreign Affairs Council meeting held in Brussels today, the foreign ministers of the European Union Member States pledged to lift the economic sanctions against Syria. France supported this historic decision, which puts into practice the commitments made to the transitional authorities with the aim of supporting the country’s economic recovery and the transition process.

Since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, France has consistently instigated a demanding adaptation of the EU sanctions policy against Syria. This European decision must enable Syria and Syrians to rejoin the path of prosperity, less than six months after the start of the transition.

The lifting of European economic sanctions is not a blank cheque. France will continue to ask the Syrian transitional authorities for solid guarantees in terms of transparency and the proper use of international funds, and will seek to ensure that the issues it sees as priorities are taken into account, in particular the fight against terrorism. We shall also continue to monitor the development of the situation on the ground and the effects of the decision taken today, particularly in the run-up to the Foreign Affairs Council’s next meetings.

This European decision is a reminder of the constant commitment of the EU, which, since 2011, has stood by Syrians who have fought for their freedom and dignity. It was in this spirit that sanctions were adopted against the Assad clan, its supporters and the sectors of the economy that ensured the survival of a barbaric regime. It is also in this spirit that the EU and its Member States have been the leading suppliers of humanitarian aid to Syria and the Syrian people over the past 15 years. Since 2011, France has played an active role in maintaining European unity on Syria.

At the same time, the EU maintains direct sanctions targeting the Assad regime and its supporters, as well as sanctions targeting dual-use goods, particularly weapons and technology likely to be used for the purposes of internal repression. In addition, on France’s initiative the EU will adopt sanctions against the perpetrators of human rights violations committed in Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad and against those who fuel instability in Syria.

France reiterates its readiness to cooperate with the Syrian transitional authorities in order to contribute to the reconstruction of a new, peaceful Syria respectful of its diversity and safe from any harmful foreign interference.