European Council restores full trade ties with Syria after 14 years

The European Council restored fuller trade ties with Syria on Monday, ending the partial suspension of a cooperation agreement that had limited parts of the relationship since 2011.

The Council said the decision reinstates the full application of the EU Syria Cooperation Agreement and marks an important step toward strengthening bilateral relations. The move repeals the 2011 decision that suspended trade provisions after Bashar al Assad’s regime cracked down on anti government protests at the start of Syria’s civil war.

The decision sends a clear political signal that the EU is willing to re engage with Syria and support its economic recovery, the Council said. The reinstated provisions cover trade related measures that had removed quantitative restrictions on imports of certain Syrian goods, including oil, petroleum products, gold, precious metals, and diamonds.

The move comes 18 months after al Assad was removed from power in December 2024, opening a new chapter between Brussels and Damascus. EU foreign ministers met in Brussels on Monday with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al Shaibani, launching a high level political dialogue with the country’s new government.

The EU had already moved to loosen its economic restrictions on Syria. In 2025, the Council lifted economic sanctions on the country, except those maintained on security grounds, while backing a peaceful and inclusive transition and Syria’s reintegration into the international economic system.

The European Commission will notify Syrian authorities of the end of the partial suspension. The decision enters into force immediately, while the reinstated provisions will become applicable on the first day of the first month after that notification.

The agreement could help revive a trade relationship that collapsed during the war. EU Syria trade peaked in 2010 at more than 7 billion euros, before EU imports from Syria fell to 103 million euros and exports to Syria reached 265 million euros in 2023, according to Al Jazeera.

The decision also fits into Europe’s wider effort to shape Syria’s post war recovery. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged after meeting interim Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa in Damascus in January that Europe would do everything it could to support the country’s recovery.