EU considers easing sanctions on Syria following Assad ouster

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced that the bloc is expected to agree on Monday to begin easing sanctions on Syria after the ouster of Bashar Assad.

“It is a step-for-step approach,” Kallas stated at the start of an EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, emphasizing Europe’s interest in aiding Syria’s reconstruction and engaging with its new leadership following the end of Assad’s five-decade familial rule.

While the EU is keen to support Syria’s rebuilding process, some member states remain cautious about quickly endorsing the new Islamist-led leadership in Damascus.

The 27-nation bloc imposed broad sanctions on the Assad regime and its economy during Syria’s prolonged civil war, and those measures remain in place.

The EU is prepared to ease sanctions gradually, provided Syria’s new authorities demonstrate concrete progress toward forming an inclusive transitional government. “If they are doing the right steps, then we are willing to do the steps on our behalf as well,” Kallas reiterated.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot suggested the EU could begin by suspending sanctions on critical sectors like energy, transport, and banking. However, diplomats clarified that the EU intends only to suspend—not permanently lift—sanctions, maintaining leverage over Syria’s leadership.

Syria’s new de facto leader, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, and Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, the group he leads, remain under EU sanctions, with no immediate plans to lift those designations.