The Council today decided to renew the EU’s restrictive measures targeting individuals and entities linked to the former al-Assad regime in Syria until 1 June 2027. The restrictive measures were prolonged following the Council’s annual review of the sanctions regime.In parallel, the Council decided to remove seven entities from the sanctions list, which include the Ministries of Defence and Interior. This will support the strengthening of the EU’s engagement with Syria.

In May 2025, all economic sanctions on Syria have been lifted in order to support the country’s peaceful and inclusive transition, socio-economic recovery, and reconstruction. At the same time, the EU has maintained targeted restrictive measures against individuals and entities linked with the former al-Assad regime, as well as sanctions based on security grounds.

The EU considers that networks linked to the former al-Assad regime continue to retain influence and pose a risk of undermining the transition process and hindering efforts towards national reconciliation and accountability.

Those designated are subject to an asset freeze and EU citizens and companies are prohibited from making funds available to them. Individuals are additionally subject to a travel ban, which prevents them from entering or transiting through EU member states.

Background
The EU first introduced restrictive measures in view of the situation in Syria in 2011 in response to the violent repression of the civilian population by the al-Assad regime. Following the fall of this regime, the Council on 24 February 2025 eased a number of EU restrictive measures in view of the situation in Syria in order to facilitate engagement with the country, its people and businesses.

On 20 May 2025, the Council affirmed its continued commitment to supporting the Syrian people and the peaceful and inclusive transition by announcing the political decision to lift all economic sanctions (except those based on security grounds), marking a historic shift toward aiding Syria’s transition and recovery in the post-Assad era.

More recently, on 11 May 2026, the Council restored the full application of the EU-Syria Cooperation Agreement, which was partially suspended in 2011 in response to serious human rights violations by the al-Assad regime.