EU exposes sanctions against Syria - returning Syrian refugees!

EU exposes sanctions against Syria - returning Syrian refugees!

Laimgrubengasse 10, 1060 Wien, Österreich - On February 24, 2025, the EU Foreign Minister took an important step: they unanimously decided to suspend several economic sanctions against Syria. This decision affects the banking, energy and transport areas in particular and is intended to improve relationships with the nation drawn by the civil war, as . The sanctions had been imposed on the civil war in Syria as part of the international reactions. With this measure, the EU not only wants to support the humanitarian situation in Syria, but also facilitate the reconstruction of the country. The beneficiaries include four Syrian banks and the state airline Syrian Arab Airlines.

Petra Steger, a member of the Freedom Party, has a sharp criticism of this step. It demands that the lifting of sanctions should go hand in hand with a return offensive for Syrian asylum seekers in Europe. "It cannot be that Syria is relieved economically, while other Syrians remain in Europe and especially in Austria," said Steger. In her opinion, the return of the Syrian refugees is not only important for the development of their home country, but could also reduce the security risks in the reception center such as Austria. The background for this requirement is the concern about the effects of uncontrolled migration, which has recently come into focus again by a terrorist attack by a Syrian in Villach, so ots.at

The latest decision of the EU makes it clear that despite the lifting of the sanctions, some protective measures remain. The weapon embargo and the sanctions against chemical weapons and drug trafficking remain in force. It is critical that the EU indicates that the sanctions could quickly reactivate if the political situation in Syria deteriorates. This happens against the background that Syria, according to the UN, will need decades to fix the economic damage to the long conflict.