Syria: Council restores full application of EU-Syria Cooperation Agreement

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Council of the EU | Press release | 11 May 2026 11:18

Syria: Council restores full application of EU-

Syria Cooperation Agreement

The Council today adopted a decision terminating the partial suspension of the

Cooperation Agreement between the European Economic Community and the

Syrian Arab Republic. The decision repeals Council Decision 2011/523/EU that

introduced the suspension.

By ending the partial suspension, the Council reinstates the full application of the

Cooperation Agreement, marking an important step towards strengthening the

bilateral relations between the EU and Syria.

The partial suspension, introduced in 2011 and extended in 2012, had targeted

specific trade-related provisions of the agreement in response to serious human

rights violations by the regime of Bashar al-Assad. It covered provisions removing

quantitative restrictions on imports of certain Syrian products, including oil,

petroleum products, gold, precious metals and diamonds.

Following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024 and subsequent Council

decisions to lift EU economic sanctions on Syria in May 2025 (except those based on

security grounds), the conditions that justified the suspension are no longer

present. The termination of the suspension is therefore consistent with the EU’s

broader policy of supporting a peaceful and inclusive transition in Syria and

facilitating the country’s socio-economic recovery. The decision sends a clear

political signal of the EU’s commitment to re-engage with Syria and support its

economic recovery.

Next steps

The European Commission will notify the Syrian authorities of the termination of the

partial suspension.

The decision will enter into force on the date of its adoption. The reinstated

provisions of the Cooperation Agreement will become applicable from the first day

of the first month following that notification, allowing sufficient time for

implementation.

Background

The Cooperation Agreement between the EU and Syria, concluded in 1977, provides

the framework for economic and trade relations between the parties.

In September 2011, the Council partially suspended certain provisions of the

agreement in parallel with restrictive measures adopted under the EU’s CFSP in

response to the Syrian regime’s repression of its population. The suspension was

extended in February 2012 to cover additional products.

Since 2024, significant political developments in Syria, including the fall of the Assad

regime, have enabled the EU to renew its relations with Syria. In 2025, the Council

lifted economic sanctions on Syria, with the exception of those maintained on

security grounds, and reiterated its support for a peaceful and inclusive transition,

respect for human rights and the country’s reintegration into the international

economic system.

> Council Decision on lifting the suspension of the application of the EU-Syria

Cooperation Agreement BS

> Syria: Council approves conclusions (press release, 23 June 2025)

> Syria: EU adopts legal acts to lift economic sanctions on Syria, enacting recent

political agreement (press release, 28 May 2025)

> Syria (background information)

> Visit the meeting page

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