On Monday 20 April, the European Commission proposed the full resumption of the EU-Syria Cooperation Agreement in return for the repeal of the partial suspension of the agreement.
The cooperation agreement was partially suspended in 2011 due to the systematic repression and serious human rights violations perpetrated by Bashar al-Assad’s regime. This agreement abolishes customs duties on imports into the EU of most industrial products originating in Syria and prevents any quantitative restrictions on trade.
In line with the decisions already taken by the EU – including the suspension of all its economic sanctions against Syria, apart from those based on security grounds (see EUROPE 13644/2, 13650/17) – and “with the objective of restoring normal trade relations with Syria and supporting the country’s socio-economic recovery, it is important to terminate the partial suspension of the EU-Syria Cooperation Agreement, thereby fully reinstating the EU-Syria Cooperation Agreement”, justified the Commission in its proposal.
The proposal will now have to be formally adopted by the EU Council and then notified to the Syrian transitional authorities.
See the proposal: https://aeur.eu/f/llw (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)