New move from the EU: Sanctions on Syria lifted
Following the statement made by US President Trump in Saudi Arabia, the European Union has also decided to lift all sanctions against Syria. It was stated that the official announcement will be made tomorrow.
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The European Union has decided to completely lift the comprehensive economic and individual sanctions it has been imposing on Syria since 2011.
According to a report by the French news agency AFP, citing diplomatic sources, the decision was taken unanimously among EU member states, and the official announcement is expected to be made on the evening of May 21, 2025.
WHAT DID TRUMP SAY?
US President Donald Trump, while attending the Saudi Arabia-US Investment Forum during his Middle East tour, addressed the US sanctions on Syria and announced that they would lift the sanctions.
In his speech at the Saudi Arabia-US Investment Forum yesterday, Trump emphasized that President Tayyip Erdoğan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had asked him to lift the sanctions on Syria, stating, "Turkey's leader Erdoğan made a similar request in recent days. My other respected friends in the Middle East have said the same. We will lift the sanctions on Syria."
WHAT HAD HAPPENED?
Following the start of the civil war in Syria in 2011, the EU began imposing sanctions on the Syrian government and individuals linked to the regime in May 2011. These sanctions were grouped under two main headings:
Individual Sanctions: Individuals held responsible for human rights violations were targeted. Travel bans were imposed on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, ministers, and key figures of the regime, and their assets were frozen. There were 318 individuals and 86 entities on the EU's blacklist.
Sectoral Sanctions: To collapse the Syrian government's financial network, the import of crude oil and petroleum products was banned. Dual-use (military and civilian) goods, communication equipment, and the financing of certain infrastructure projects were restricted. These sanctions deeply affected the Syrian economy; in 2023, the EU-Syria trade volume was recorded at only 396 million euros.
On February 24, 2025, the EU announced that it had "suspended" sanctions on the energy, transport, and banking sectors. This step was taken to support economic recovery and reconstruction efforts under the new administration of Syria led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Five financial institutions (Industrial Bank, Popular Credit Bank, Saving Bank, Agricultural Cooperative Bank, and Syrian Arab Airlines) were removed from the sanctions list, and the provision of funds to the Central Bank of Syria was permitted.