The European Union agreed on Monday to start easing sanctions on Syria in light of the ousting of President Bashar Assad in December. At a meeting of European ministers in Brussels, Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, announced a gradual lifting of sanctions, starting in areas key to reconstruction, such as energy, transport, and financial services.
Kallas emphasized that the decision could be reversed, however, if “wrong steps are taken” – code for backsliding on human rights. And sanctions will not be lifted against Syria’s new rulers, members of Islamic militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS. According to Dutch Foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp, “They’re the new ones in power. We want to see how their words are translated into actions.”
Could other countries follow suit? All eyes are now on the US, which designated Syria a terrorist entity in 1979 and joined the EU in imposing strict sanctions against the Assad regime in 2011. In early January, the US Treasury issued a six-month general license, which authorized some energy transactions and humanitarian aid but did not lift sanctions.
Trump has not specifically pronounced himself on Syrian sanctions, but based on the record of his first administration, observers believe that sanctions will continue to be used against threat actors such as Iran – suggesting that HTS should distance itself from Tehran if it wants them lifted by Washington.
