15/12/2025 (Agence Europe) – The Presidents of the European Council, António Costa, and of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, could visit Syria in mid-January, a European source explained on Monday 15 December. On the same day, at the Foreign Affairs Council, the High Representative of the Union, Kaja Kallas announced that the ministers had decided to continue the new EU-Syria political partnership. “If we do not step up in Syria, others, including Russia, will fill the vacuum”, she explained. The ministers discussed the state of the Syrian transition and how to better support governance, security sector reform and trade. “One year after Assad’s regime fall, Syria still faces enormous challenges: sectarian violence, lack of inclusivity, lack of proper institutions (and) Rule of law”, acknowledged Ms Kallas. (CG)