EU fully restores trade relations with Syria
Axios (Tổng hợp từ Al Jazeera English)
The European Council has ended the partial suspension of its cooperation agreement with Syria, restoring fuller trade relations as the country recovers from nearly 14 years of civil war. The move signals EU commitment to re-engaging and supporting economic recovery, following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. EU-Syria trade collapsed after 2011, with imports dropping to just over €100 million in 2023 from a peak of €7 billion in 2010.
The European Council on February 24 announced it had ended the partial suspension of its cooperation agreement with Syria, thereby restoring fuller trade relations between the European Union (EU) and the Middle Eastern country. The move comes as Syria strives to rise from nearly 14 years of civil war.
The European Council stressed that the decision “sends a clear political signal of the EU’s commitment to re-engaging with Syria and supporting its economic recovery.” Earlier, EU foreign ministers met in Brussels with Syria’s top diplomat, Asaad al-Shaibani, launching a high-level political dialogue 18 months after the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad.
The 27-member EU bloc opened a new chapter in relations with Syria following Assad’s overthrow in December 2024. In January, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, during a visit to Damascus, pledged that Europe would “do everything possible” to support Syria’s recovery. Following a proposal by the European Commission, EU countries activated the full cooperation agreement with Syria last month.
The cooperation agreement had eliminated tariffs on most industrial products imported from Syria, but was partially suspended in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on anti-government protests, sparking the civil war. Bilateral Syria-EU trade peaked in 2010 at over €7 billion (equivalent to 9.1 billion USD at the time). By 2023, EU imports from Syria had fallen to just €103 million (around $120 million), while EU exports to Syria reached €265 million (about $310 million).
On the sensitive issue of repatriating Syrian refugees, Germany — home to the EU’s largest Syrian community, with over one million people — faces numerous challenges. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who pursues stricter immigration policies in an effort to counter the far right, sparked controversy during a visit by Syria’s president last month when he said he hoped 80% of Syrian refugees would return home within three years. Merz later clarified that figure came from Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa himself.
