What changed

B100344/2025

European Parliament resolution on the urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria following the recent terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria, following the recent terrorist attack on the Mar Elias church in Damascus

(2025/2798(RSP))

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Syria,

– having regard to the Highstatements Representativesby the VP/HR and SpokespersonEEAS statementsSpokesperson of 11 March 2025,March, 7 May 2025 and 23 June 2025 on Syria,

– having regardsregard to the Council conclusions of 23 June 2025 on Syria and the European Council conclusions of 26 June 2025 on Syria,the Middle East,

– having regard to RuleRules 150(5) and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

✦ Wording Rephrases the description of Syria's suffering under the Assad regime and terrorist groups, changing the wording and order of affected communities.

A. whereas Syria’s religiously and ethnically diverse society suffered for over a decade at the hands of the Iranviolent and Russia-bolstereddivisive Assad regime and terrorist groups, first among whichespecially Daesh, affecting all communitiescommunities, including SunniArabs, ArabsKurds, andSunnis, Kurds,Shias, Alawites, Christians, DruzesDruze and Yazidis,Yazidis;

✦ Replaces the paragraph on the Assad regime's collapse with a new one on ongoing violence against Alawites, and updates the attack on Mar Elias Church with a named group and higher casualty figures.

B. whereas the collapse of the Assad regime has ushered in a transformative period of economic, humanitarian, and political reconstruction spearheaded by a transitional government with observable, albeit limited, religious and ethnic representation,

B. whereas a spree of widespread violence, including sexual violence, along the Syrian coast targeting the Alawite community began in March 2025 and is still ongoing, with over 1 200 civilian victims;

C. whereas in March 2025 a spree of retaliatory violence along the Syrian coast targeted the Alawite community, with over 1200 civilian victims,

C. whereas widespread sectarian clashes in April 2025 killed over 10 Druze civilians;

D. whereas sectarian clashes in April 2025 killed over 10 Druze civilians; whereas Israel has conducted military incursions in Syria territory under the guise of defending the Druze community;

D. whereas on 22 June 2025, a suicide terrorist attack on the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus killed at least 25 and injured over 60, marking the deadliest attack against Christians in years; whereas a newly formed Islamist terrorist group, Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, claimed this attack;

E. whereas on 22 June 2025 a terrorist attack on the Greek Orthodox Church of Mar Elias in Damascus killed at least 25 and injured over 60 Christians: whereas a newly formed group whose ideological and organisational links to Daesh appear credible although unconfirmed claimed this attack;

1. Strongly condemns the traumatic terrorist attack against the Mar Elias Church and all threats against worship sites, some historically significant; urges the Syrian authorities to improve safety measures and restore the Mar Elias Church;

1. urges the Syrian authorities to continue facilitating swift, transparent and independent investigations into acts targeting religious and ethnic communities and take all necessary actions to quell sectarian violence, including by prosecuting perpetrators and enablers of human rights violations and removing them from official positions if applicable,

2. Strongly condemns all attacks targeting religious and ethnic communities and acknowledges heightened fears among them, seven months into the political transition; expresses solidarity with all victims;

2. reiterates the EU’s engagement and support for a just political transition in Syria, with transitional justice, the fight against impunity, prohibiting arbitrary violence, inclusive governance and a structured dialogue with all religious and ethnic communities as its cornerstones; calls on the EU to set up a Syria Reconstruction Fund, conditional on demonstrable progress on these priorities and in coordination with relevant international institutions, that would promote interfaith dialogue, conflict resolution and reconciliations programs;

3. Urges the Syrian transitional authorities to facilitate swift, transparent and independent investigations into these acts, and take all necessary actions to quell sectarian violence, ensure accountability, including by prosecuting perpetrators and enablers of human rights violations such as in the case of Mar Elias, uphold freedom of religion and protect all communities;

3. urges Syrian authorities to improve the safety of worship sites, to support all efforts to monitor and document these attacks, and undertake the restoration of the Mar Elias church; encourages cooperation on outstanding issues such as the restitution of religious property confiscated under the Assad regime,

4. Reiterates the EU’s support, including through conditionally lifting sanctions, for a human rights-based political transition in Syria, with transitional justice, the fight against impunity, prohibiting arbitrary violence, inclusive governance and a People’s Assembly required for its success; calls for the EU to create a Syria reconstruction fund, conditional on demonstrable progress on these priorities and in coordination with relevant international institutions, to promote interfaith dialogue, conflict resolution and reconciliation; calls on the Commission to hold the Day of Dialogue Conference in Syria with Syrian civil society as soon as possible;

4. calls on the EU and Member States to increase efforts towards monitoring and countering terrorism in Syria and progress on tackling the situation in the Al-Hol and Roj camps; urges Syrian authorities and international partners, including the US, to sustain full cooperation in this regard; urges Israel and Türkiye to cease all military and hybrid interferences in Syria,

5. Highlights the vulnerability of Christian communities in Syria;

5. condemns the Hungarian government for spreading disinformation on the EU’s reaction to the terrorist attack in the Mar Elias church,

6. Calls on the Council to maintain and impose more targeted sanctions on actors responsible for religious freedom violations in Syria;

6. instructs its President to forward this resolution to the HR/VP, the EEAS, the Council and Syrian transitional authorities.

7. Calls for the Syrian transitional authorities, the EU and the Member States to advance efforts against Islamist terrorism, protect all Syrians and tackle the situation in the al-Hol and Roj camps; calls for Syria’s territorial integrity to be respected;

8. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the VP/HR, the European External Action Service, the Council and the Syrian authorities.