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.