Are EU countries 'genuine' in rethinking the EU's approach to Syria?

Karam Shaar, a non-resident senior fellow at the New Lines Institute who also runs his own consultancy specializing in the Syrian economy, believes that some EU countries are "genuine in their desire to reconsider the EU's approach to Syria."

Is the EU a member of the Friends of Syria Group?

The EU is a member of the Friends of Syria Group. Before the war, the EU was Syria's largest trading partner with €3.6 billion worth of EU goods exports to Syria and €3.5 billion of Syrian exports to the EU.

Does Syria benefit from EU-Syria agreement?

Syria also joined the EU's Union for the Mediterranean (and previously the Barcelona Process) and the European Neighbourhood Policy - but does not fully benefit pending the application of the EU-Syria Association Agreement which was signed in 2009, and was suspended from the Union for the Mediterranean in 2011.

When was the EU Strategy for Syria adopted?

The EU Strategy for Syria was adopted on 14 March 2017, accompanied by the Foreign Affairs Council Conclusions on Syria on 3 April 2017 and 16 April 2018. The latest Foreign Affairs Council Conclusions on Syria were adopted on 14 October 2019 and endorsed by the European Council on 17-18 October 2019.

What if the EU stays out of Syria?

If the EU just continues to stay out of Syria completely, "it can't do much to support Syrians trying to survive under the regime's boot, nor can it hope to compete with the likes of Russia and Iran," he argues. While doing so, the EU must not legitimize the Assad regime's "horrific brutality" though, he says. Good intentions?

Why did the EU suspend bilateral cooperation with Syria?

Following the Syrian civil uprising in spring 2011 and the resulting escalation of violence and human rights violations, the EU suspended bilateral cooperation with the Syrian government and froze the draft Association Agreement. Since then, the EU has also suspended the participation of Syrian authorities in its regional programmes.