The European Union (EU) on Wednesday announced that it has lifted economic sanctions on Syria after the toppling of the repressive Assad regime, in an effort to revive the country’s economy.
The EU’s decision to lift all of the restrictive measures includes the removal of 24 entities from the list of those subject to the freezing of funds. These entities include the Central Bank of Syria and companies operating in the field of oil production and telecommunications. The calibrated sanctions on Syria were initially aimed at depriving the Assad regime of the resources it required to continue violence against civilians, a move no longer required since the Assads’ fall from power.
EU High Representative Kaja Kallas stated: “The EU has always stood by Syrians throughout the last 14 years—and will keep doing so.”
The Assad regime, headed by the authoritarian leader Bashar al-Assad, had governed Syria for a period of almost 25 years, taking over the presidential spot from his late father, Hafez al-Assad. The Assad government has faced international criticism due to the massive human rights violations perpetrated against Syrians, such as the deterioration of socio-economic conditions, violence and arbitrary detention. Clashes between pro-government and pro-democracy groups became the norm after the 2011 Syrian Revolution, which broke out amid widespread dissatisfaction with the regime, leading to the Syrian civil war. This internal conflict seems to ave come to an end with the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.
In early 2024, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reported that approximately 16.7 million Syrians needed aid, the highest number since 2011, with 12.9 million people suffering from food deprivation. Some of the more heinous crimes, outlined in the Caesar Report to the UN Security Council, have indicated evidence of torture in detainees such as strangulation, electrocution, forced starvation, and the documentation of murders via taking photographs as part of an organized form of killing.
Years of civil war, international sanctions, and poor management had completely debilitated the country’s economy, with a collapse in domestic industrial and agricultural output increasing Syria’s reliance on food imports, a pressing issue especially after the Syrian pound depreciated by 141 percent against the US dollar. Earlier this year, a new outbreak of violence on Syrian soil, in which security forces aligned with the ruling faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) fought with fighters apparently loyal to the ousted Assad regime, led to the death of 1,454 civilians.
The removal of economic sanctions is seen as a necessary step towards stability and reconciliation. The EU’s decision follows a resolution from the United Nations Human Rights Council calling for accountability and a timeline for democratic elections.
