EU moves to restore Syria ties, backs Kurdish integration deal
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The European Union is preparing to relaunch formal political relations with Syria while explicitly supporting the implementation of a January agreement between Damascus and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the country’s northeast, according to a document seen by Reuters on Friday.
The paper, drafted by the EU’s diplomatic arm and circulated to member states this week, outlines plans to fully resume the 1978 cooperation agreement with Syria and to launch a High-Level Political Dialogue with the country’s transitional authorities on May 11.
The document underscores EU backing for the agreement reached in January between Damascus and the SDF, which includes integrating local institutions into the Syrian state and expanding rights for Syrian Kurds as part of the broader political transition.
Syria, under transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa, is seeking broader reintegration into the international community following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad at the end of 2024 after a 14-year conflict.
In a notable policy adjustment, the EU said it would “reframe and adapt” its sanctions regime to maintain leverage while engaging with Syria’s leadership and targeting actors seen as obstructing the transition.
On the economic front, the EU plans to establish a framework for trade and investment, mobilize private sector funding, and create a technical assistance hub to support reforms aimed at improving Syria’s business environment.
The paper also highlights cooperation on facilitating the “safe, voluntary and dignified return” of refugees and displaced people. Europe hosts more than one million Syrian refugees and asylum seekers, roughly half of whom are in Germany.
Syria is also positioned as a future transit hub within regional connectivity projects, including the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor, linking transport, energy and digital routes.
On security, the EU may support police training, institutional capacity-building in the interior ministry, counterterrorism cooperation, and efforts to combat drug trafficking and organized crime.