The European Union on Monday restored the full application of its cooperation agreement with Syria, marking a further step in rebuilding ties after the fall of Bashar al Assad’s regime.
The EU Council adopted a decision terminating the partial suspension of the Cooperation Agreement between the European Economic Community and Syria, repealing a 2011 decision that had halted parts of the deal over the Assad regime’s human rights violations.
“The decision sends a clear political signal of the EU’s commitment to re-engage with Syria and support its economic recovery,” the council said in a statement.
The suspension, introduced in 2011 and expanded in 2012, targeted trade-related provisions involving Syrian exports, including oil, petroleum products, gold, precious metals and diamonds.
The council said the conditions that led to the suspension “are no longer present” following Assad’s fall in December 2024 and the EU’s decision earlier this year to lift economic sanctions on Syria, except those maintained on security grounds.
Peaceful, inclusive transition
