Eyeing migrant returns, EU pushes to revive Syria ties

BRUSSELS

The European Union on May 11 pushed for a revival of ties with Syria, as it looks to bolster the war-ravaged country, with an eye on prospects for Syrian migrants in Europe to one day return home.

The bloc’s foreign ministers met in Brussels with Syrian top diplomat Asaad al-Shaibani to kick off a high-level “political dialogue” 18 months after the ouster of strongman Bashar al-Assad.

An EU official said the aim was to back reconstruction of the country devastated by more than a decade of civil war that sent millions fleeing abroad and where “the reality on the ground is still appalling”.

Some 13 million Syrians, nearly half the population, depend on food assistance, the official said. Needs are enormous, and the EU has already pledged 620 million euros ($730 million) in aid for the 2026-2027 period.

But Syria’s stability also interests many EU countries because its nationals have made up the lion’s share of asylum-seekers in the bloc over a decade, and there is a push for large numbers to eventually go back home.

“We need the Syrian transitional government to succeed in bringing stability to the country, because that’s in our interest,” said one EU diplomat.

The 27-nation bloc launched a new chapter with Syria after Assad was swept from power in December 2024.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen promised after meeting President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus in January that Europe would “do everything it can” to support Syria’s recovery.

On May 11, the EU restored the full application of its cooperation agreement with Syria, marking a further step in rebuilding ties.

The EU Council adopted the 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.

In the meantime, the EU wants to facilitate access to financing for Syrians, crucial to revive the economy, and to support farmers, for example with irrigation pumps.