EU Intends to Suspend Sanctions on Syria in 3 Sectors

The European Union (EU) plans to suspend sanctions on Syria related to energy, transport, reconstruction and banking transactions, according to a draft declaration seen by Reuters.

This comes days before a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels to discuss the Syria file.

"As part of a phased approach and as a next step, the Council will assess whether to suspend further restrictive measures," the draft declaration said.

"The Council will continue to ensure that the suspension remains appropriate based on close monitoring of the situation in the country," it added.

Last month, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas revealed that the bloc's foreign ministers had agreed on a roadmap to ease sanctions on Syria.

Kallas said: "While we aim to move quickly to lift sanctions, we can reverse this if wrong steps are taken."

On his part, the Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Sheibani welcomed the move at the time, via a post on the X platform, saying: “We welcome the positive step taken by the European Union to suspend the sanctions imposed on Syria for one year in preparation for their final lifting.”