What changed

B100155/2025

B100157/2025

European Parliament resolution on the need for EU support towards a just transition and reconstruction in Syria

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Syria,

– having regard to the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council meeting of 24 February 2025,

– having regard to the European Council conclusions of 19 December 2024,

– having regard to the G7 leaders’ statement on Syria of 12 December 2024,

– having regard to UN Security Council press statement of 17 December 2024 on the situation in Syria,

– having regard to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC),

– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the Syrian civil war, which started in March 2011, lasted for almost 14 years, caused almost 1 million deaths and displaced around 7 million Syrians;

A. whereas the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s brutal dictatorship after 13 years of civil war and intense oppression, which caused the loss of more than 500 000 lives and the displacement of 14 million Syrians, marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Syrian people and the wider Middle East;

B. whereas Ahmed al-Sharaa and the organisation Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seized power on 8 December 2024 by overthrowing the Assad regime;

B. whereas the call of the 2011 revolution, for democracy, justice, and equality, has re-emerged, creating an opportunity for the establishment of a new, inclusive and democratic Syria;

C. whereas around 1 million Syrian refugees have received asylum in European countries; whereas many more are residing illegally in Europe;

C. whereas the EU must play a significant role in facilitating Syria’s democratic transition, which should focus on respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and on ensuring the participation of all Syrians, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion or political affiliation;

D. whereas over the past 13 years, the EU and its Member States have mobilised more than EUR 33.3 billion in humanitarian, development, economic and stabilisation assistance to tackle the Syrian crisis;

D whereas on 24 February 2025, the EU suspended restrictive measures on Syrian energy, transport and banking sectors;

E. whereas the EU imposed sanctions on Syria during the civil war; whereas on 24 February 2025 the EU decided to suspend restrictive measures on key economic sectors in view of the improved situation in Syria; whereas the EU aims to facilitate engagement with Syria, its people and its businesses in the key areas of energy and transport, as well as to facilitate financial and banking transactions associated with these sectors and those needed for humanitarian and reconstruction purposes;

E. whereas approximately 500 000 internally displaced people have returned to their areas of origin since the change of regime; whereas many of them face inadequate services, limited livelihoods and damaged infrastructure, hindering their sustainable reintegration; whereas 7.4 million people remain displaced inside the country;

1. Notes that the fall of the Assad regime on 8 December 2024, brought about by Ahmed al-Sharaa and HTS, marked the end of hostilities in the Syrian civil war; underlines that the security situation in Syria has shown significant improvements;

F. whereas according to the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, the situation in Syria remains one of the world’s most acute crises, with almost 17 million people – 70 % of the entire Syrian population – requiring humanitarian assistance;

2. Recalls that the Syrian civil war caused a mass exodus of Syrians to neighbouring countries and to Europe; emphasises that the massive arrival of migrants from Syria systematically destabilised the host countries because it overwhelmed their social services, dramatically increased crime rates, led to a sharp rise in antisemitism, and fuelled terrorist attacks;

G. whereas the EU and its Member States have mobilised more than EUR 33.3 billion in humanitarian, development, economic and stabilisation assistance;

3. Emphasises the need to actively encourage and facilitate the return of Syrian migrants and refugees residing in Europe, underlining that Syria’s reconstruction requires human capital;

H. whereas more than 14 million Syrians have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety; whereas 5.5 million Syrian refugees live in the five countries neighbouring Syria, namely Türkiye, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt; whereas the conflict has had an impact on Palestine refugees who rely on the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) for basic services, 438 000 of whom are estimated to be in Syria and many of whom are displaced and expected to return; whereas continued support for UNRWA is needed for the protection of these refugees; whereas EU countries host over one million Syrian asylum seekers and refugees;

4. Calls for the EU and its Member States to prioritise the allocation of existing financial aid dedicated to the Syrian crisis to structured return programmes and reintegration initiatives, while ensuring that such support does not benefit the remnants of the Assad regime or any terrorist groups within Syria or abroad;

I. whereas the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) was established by the UN General Assembly in 2016 to assist in the investigation and prosecution of persons responsible for the most serious crimes under international law committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011;

5. Calls on the new Syrian Government to respect the rights of all Syrians, including those belonging to religious and ethnic minorities; urges the new Syrian Government to take measures to reassure and protect Christians and other religious and ethnic minorities throughout the country, which suffered particularly severe persecution during the civil war;

Institutional transition and governance

6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the UN Security Council and the new Government of Syria.

1. Welcomes this historic new phase and the opportunities it brings for Syria following the fall of Assad’s brutal regime, and expresses its strongest support for the people of Syria and its communities;

2. Believes that the future of Syria must be led by the Syrian people and must be inclusive and democratic, to ensure a stable and viable transition that is based on the principles of sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity and the rule of law, and to ensure the protection and the participation of all civilians, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion or political affiliation;

3. Calls for an inclusive transition process that represents all of Syria’s communities, including Arabs, Kurds, Christians, Sunni, Shia, Druze, Alawites, Armenians, Turkmens and Circassians;

4. Calls for the urgent inclusion of women in all stages of the political transition and the legal protection of gender equality in the new constitutional framework; insists on the need for policies to ensure women’s economic empowerment, protection from gender-based violence, and access to leadership roles; welcomes the creation of a Women’s Affairs Office in Syria’s interim government and its commitment to engaging Syrian women in social, cultural and political institutions; advocates, in particular, maintaining the progress made on gender equality in the Kurdish-held areas in north-eastern Syria, also known as the Rojava region; considers the region to be a role model for gender equality and inclusiveness;

5. Calls on the Syrian authorities and the international community to continue to focus on the fight against Daesh and the destruction of chemical weapon stockpiles, landmines and cluster munitions;

6. Considers it to be essential to ensure accountability for crimes, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, such as torture, sexual violence and enforced disappearance; calls on the Syrian transitional authorities to take measures aimed at securing and preserving physical evidence of serious international crimes across the country, including through cooperation and engagement with international experts;

7. Urges the Syrian transitional authorities to ratify the Rome Statute and to fully cooperate with, and grant unhindered access to, independent monitors such as the IIIM, the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria and the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic;

8. Advocates the creation of independent transitional justice mechanisms to ensure full accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity and other human rights violations committed since the beginning of the civil war in 2011;

9. Supports the establishment of a Syrian-led National Dialogue, recognising the efforts initiated by the National Dialogue Conference on 27 February 2025, and calls for the full involvement of all communities and sections of the Syrian population, including civil society organisations and the Syrian diaspora;

10. Calls for the establishment of a new institutional framework ensuring equal citizenship rights, universal access to education, healthcare, housing and social protection, as well as guarantees for labour rights and decent work opportunities for all;

11. Reaffirms the fundamental role of civil society in shaping the future of Syria and ensuring a successful democratic political transition; calls on the international community to increase its investment in strengthening civil society organisations;

Regional situation

12. Considers that the fall of the Assad regime represents a significant opportunity for the stability of the entire Middle East, particularly by weakening the harmful influence of the Iranian regime and its proxies;

13. Insists on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 338 (1973) and the dismantling of Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights, in accordance with international law, and calls for Syria’s territorial integrity to be respected and for compliance with the 1974 Disengagement Agreement;

14. Urges the Government of Türkiye to halt its unilateral military action in north-eastern Syria and withdraw its forces, emphasising that a sustainable solution must be based on political and diplomatic tools and respect for international law;

15. Calls for mechanisms to ensure the withdrawal of destabilising actors such as Russia and Iran;

16. Recognises the role of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the effort to combat Daesh;

17. Notes that approximately 12 000 foreign citizens, many of them EU citizens, who have joined Daesh and other terrorist groups are being held in prisons and camps in the Kurdish-held areas in north-eastern Syria; emphasises the importance of EU support for the efforts aimed at weakening and ultimately defeating Daesh, which continues to represent a major threat;

18. Supports efforts to prevent jihadists from using Syrian territory to plan attacks outside Syria and efforts to dismantle the captagon trade network;

19. Calls on the Syrian transitional authorities to play a constructive role in regional multilateral organisations and commit to participating in international forums in support of the two-state solution of Israeli and Palestinian states living side by side;

Migration

20. Strongly condemns the decision by some Member States to suspend asylum applications from Syrians and calls for the EU to uphold its international obligations; calls strongly for the establishment of a more coordinated and humane asylum framework that protects vulnerable groups, including women, children and persecuted minorities;

21. Calls on the Member States to establish flexible asylum frameworks for Syrians who have been granted international protection in the EU, allowing them to return temporarily to Syria without jeopardising their legal status, with the aim of strengthening the societal and economic ties between the EU and Syria; insists that all returns must be voluntary, safe and dignified, in line with international standards, and that all asylum claims must be assessed individually and thoroughly;

22. Calls for an EU-wide strategy to support refugee-hosting countries such as Lebanon, Jordan and Türkiye, including sustainable financial aid, fair burden-sharing and development-oriented assistance for both refugees and host communities;

23. Emphasises that the Syrian diaspora is a key asset for the country’s democratic transition and reconstruction; calls for the facilitation of remittances and economic contributions from Syrians abroad;

EU role and final commitments

24. Reiterates that the EU must take an active and cautious role in Syria’s democratic transition, using all available tools to support the transitional authorities in upholding democracy and human rights, promoting gender equality and respecting neighbouring countries;

25. Reaffirms the EU’s commitment to supporting Syria’s democratic aspirations and calls for stronger financial and political action to bolster rebuilding efforts and humanitarian and stabilisation assistance;

26. Supports the recent decision by the Foreign Affairs Council to suspend sanctions on Syria, in particular in the energy, transport and financial sectors; advocates rigorous monitoring of respect for fundamental rights, the rule of law, minorities, gender equality, the fight against terrorism, international law and the sovereign rights of all Member States as a precondition for the full and permanent suspension of sanctions; calls for targeted sanctions to be maintained on individuals responsible for the atrocities committed by the previous regime;

27. Welcomes the ninth Brussels conference on supporting the future of Syria and the region, to take place on 17 March 2025; stands ready to play its political and institutional role in engaging in dialogue with all Syrians and international partners on the main challenges of transition, reconstruction and stability in the region; recalls the importance of ensuring adequate support also for the implementation of governance, institutional and security reforms aimed at protecting civil, political and socio-economic rights;

29. Calls for the consideration of ways to use the frozen assets of the Assad regime for a trust fund for Syrian reconstruction and rehabilitation and to compensate victims;

30. Calls for the EU to increase its presence in Syria through a joint action by the Commission and Parliament to support civil society and all democratic movements;

31. Urges the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to prepare a comprehensive strategy for engaging Syrian civil society and diaspora communities in all steps of the institutional transition, in particular to promote justice and national reconciliation;

32. Calls on the Commission to support reconstruction efforts in Syria with particular attention to repairing the Syrian healthcare system and the country’s water supply infrastructure;

33. Calls for the EU to support Syria in efforts to restore areas and places of deep cultural significance to the Syrian public and to step up efforts to combat the illicit trafficking of stolen and looted cultural goods;

34. Reaffirms the EU’s support for the IIIM’s work on justice and accountability and calls for the EU institutions and the Member States to step up funding for the IIIM;

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35. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Syrian transitional authorities and the parliaments of the Member States.