On Thursday 19 December, European leaders invited the European Commission and the High Representative to submit to the EU Council options for measures to support Syria, while showing caution with regard to the new authorities.
“The European Union will do its utmost to support Syria”, promised the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Pointing out that the EU was the country's biggest donor - €160 million this year - she said that more needed to be done. According to Ms von der Leyen, the Brussels conference on Syria, which takes place every year, should help the Syrians with “rapid recovery and reconstruction”.
“As the European Union, we want to play a decisive role in the reconstruction and consolidation of peace”, added the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez.
This does not mean that Europeans are giving the Syrian authorities a blank cheque. “We hear from HTS that they want to represent the entire Syrian population. I think we have to hold them to that ", said Belgium’s Alexander De Croo. In his view, “we must ensure that Syria’s territorial integrity is respected, and we must commit ourselves, show that we are ready to provide as much humanitarian aid as possible and try to stabilise the situation”.
His Dutch counterpart, Dick Schoof, also insisted on stability. “A stable regime that takes minorities, religious or otherwise, seriously and respects the Rule of law is the best basis for the return to Syria (of refugees) and, incidentally, the best basis for preventing all kinds of people from fleeing Syria again”, he stressed (see other news).
Several European leaders, including the High Representative of the Union, Kaja Kallas and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, have called for the EU to adopt a united stance with its partners in the region. “We must have a common approach with all the neighbouring countries, in particular Jordan, Egypt and other neighbouring countries, in order to address the new regime", said the Cypriot.
To see the conclusions of the European Council: https://aeur.eu/f/ewi (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with the editorial staff)