Changes from resolution motion to resolution motion joint

Removed38. Takes note of the reversibility of EU sanction relief and asks the European Council to define and clearly communicate clear benchmarks that Syria’s authorities must meet and to secure further sanctions to ease or prevent the activation of a snapback;

Removed39. Agrees with the European Council to maintain restrictive measures against people and entities who are responsible for widespread and systematic violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in Syria, in particular the Assad regime and its affiliates, as well as HTS leaders;

Removed40. Calls on the European Council to formulate clear delisting criteria for individuals subject to sanctions, who could assist accountability efforts against the Assad regime’s human rights violations;

Removed41. Encourages the European Council to explore pathways to use frozen assets of the Assad regime for a trust fund for Syrian reconstruction and the rehabilitation and compensation of victims;

Removed42. Calls on the Commission and Council to reach out to other countries imposing sanctions on Syria, in particular the US and the UK, to plead for their alignment with EU sanction relief;

Removed43. Notes that the EU sanctions expire on 1 June 2025; highlights the importance of clarifying the above-mentioned issues before that date and outlining, as soon as possible, a list of individual sanctions that must remain in place for the time being;

Removed44. Express deep concerns over the dire humanitarian and economic conditions faced by Syrians as a consequence of the reign of the Assad regime, war and the obstruction of humanitarian aid; welcomes the interim government’s removal of all barriers to cross-border and cross-line aid access in Syria and calls for the international community and the EU to seize the opportunity to increase humanitarian and development aid; welcomes recent reports by the UN about increased aid delivery to north-western Syria, despite ongoing hostilities;

Removed45. Welcomes the announcement by the Commission to provide EUR 235 million in new humanitarian support to Syrians; encourages the Commission and the Member States to closely work with UN institutions and local humanitarian groups to address the dire humanitarian situation in Syria holistically;

Removed46. Firmly believes that while humanitarian aid is crucial, reconstruction and economic development are key for Syria’s transition and stabilisation; calls, therefore, on the Commission and the Member States to support reconstruction efforts in Syria, focusing on sectors that can improve the economic and social rights of Syrians, including transport, electricity, health and education; recommends that the Commission and the Member States focus on bottom-up initiatives supporting local businesses and civil society rather than funnelling money through centralised institutions and, to this end, ensure that funding schemes are adapted to the local context, avoiding unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles that could exclude small local actors;

Removed47. Acknowledges that Syrians, especially those most affected by the war, must lead the reconstruction, ensuring that their resilience and knowledge shape the recovery; highlights the importance of mainstreaming gender equality as an objective across reconstruction efforts, including land and property rights for women; expresses the view that all programming needs to be accompanied by due diligence, address housing, land and property rights in Syria and be supervised through independent monitoring;

Removed48. Calls on the Commission, in cooperation with the relevant countries in the region, to ensure that entities or individuals who are sanctioned by the EU for their responsibility for breaches of international law and violation of human rights are excluded from the reconstruction of Syria and are not awarded any tenders;

Removed49. Welcomes the timely organisation of the 9th Brussels Conference on Syria in March 2025 and urges the Commission to prioritise the inclusion and participation of Syrian CSOs, particularly women’s organisations, in this dialogue to ensure that the EU’s approach supports the Syrian people’s aspirations and protection of their rights;

Removed50. Recognises the importance of the Syrian diaspora in the EU for the economic development and reconstruction of Syria; recognises the importance of remittances alongside official development assistance and urges all Member States to lift any restrictions on sending remittances to Syria;

Removed51. Calls on the Commission to provide Syrian civil society, especially women-led groups, with sustainable, flexible and long-term funding, including small grants and cash assistance, in contexts with financial restrictions; highlights the importance of closely consulting with Syrian civil society in designing and implementing EU funding for Syria and ensuring that schemes are easily accessible to local initiatives;

Removed52. Reaffirms that the fragile and evolving political and security situation of the country does not warrant deeming Syria, or parts of it, a safe country of origin for the return of Syrian nationals living as refugees and asylum seekers in Europe and around the world; reiterates the EU’s position that any return needs to be truly voluntary, safe and dignified, and underpinned by refugees being given all the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their futures, in full accordance with international law and the principles set out by the UNHCR;

Removed53. Calls on the Member States to reverse any decision that suspends asylum applications by Syrians and guarantee a full, individual and merit-based assessment of each asylum claim in a fair and transparent procedure; urges Member States that suspend decision-making on asylum claims to limit this suspension to a short and clearly defined period of time;

Removed54. Stresses that any change in the protection status of Syrian refugees should be made only after a thorough assessment and securing of evidence that the political and security situation has changed in a fundamental and durable way, as required by the 1951 Refugee Convention and the Qualification Directive, and offers safety and stability, as well as human rights guarantees; emphasises that the withdrawal of international protection from individuals must follow the procedure set out in the Asylum Procedures Directive; encourages the Member States to assess alternative grounds for granting residence permits to Syrians, including naturalisation, family reunification, long-term residence or humanitarian grounds; reiterates that no asylum seeker may be forcibly returned, as this would violate countries’ non-refoulement obligation;

Removed55. Calls on the Member States and non-EU countries, including Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan, to allow, as a matter of urgency, Syrian refugees and asylum seekers residing in their countries to choose to temporarily travel to Syria without losing their protection status; calls on the Commission to encourage and provide the Member States with guidance and best practice on the implementation of EU law on this issue, including as regards the difference between ‘travel’ and ‘re-establishment’;

Removed56. Calls on the Commission to maintain financial support for countries in the region hosting Syrian refugees, in particular Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan;

Removed57. Calls on Syria’s neighbours Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan to adhere to international law and refrain from returning Syrian refugees and asylum seekers until these returns can be voluntary, safe and under dignified conditions;

Removed58. Recalls the plight of the more than 400 000 Palestinian refugees in Syria who depend primarily on the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) for their basic needs; commends UNRWA for its essential work in the region and calls on the Commission to continue its full political and financial support for the agency;

Removed59. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the interim government of Syria, and to have it translated and published in Arabic.