14/07/2023 (Agence Europe) – On Friday 14 July, the EU Council decided to extend the humanitarian exemption under the sanctions regime for the situation in Syria by six months, until 24 February 2024. “The exemption from the asset freeze and from the related prohibition on making funds and economic resources available to listed individuals and entities aims to further facilitate the operations of international organisations and certain defined categories of actors involved in humanitarian activities in Syria” the EU Council said in its statement. This humanitarian exemption, introduced on 23 February following the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria, has been extended “in order to continue responding in a timely manner to the urgency of the humanitarian crisis in Syria, and to keep facilitating the rapid delivery of aid”. (CG)