The European Union is weighing a broad upgrade in its ties with Syria, including security sector reform, investment and the revival of a long-frozen trade accord, as the bloc seeks to draw Damascus closer to Europe and counter lingering Russian influence after Bashar al-Assad's overthrow.
The plans are set out in a discussion paper prepared by the bloc's diplomatic service ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers on November 16, according to an EU document seen by Reuters. The paper sketches one of Brussels' most ambitious efforts yet to normalize ties with Syria, less than two years after Assad's fall ended decades of authoritarian rule and reshaped regional alliances.
Among the most striking proposals is a plan to revive an association agreement initialed in 2008 but never concluded, a move that would create a framework for free trade, political dialogue and broader cooperation between Brussels and Damascus. EU diplomats would seek a fresh mandate from member countries to negotiate revisions to the pact, and the document said the existing text could provide a basis for rapidly deepening ties.
Alongside plans to support security-sector reform — including trilateral cooperation with Jordan on the training of Syrian police recruits — the EU is seeking to step up its engagement to limit "the malign influence of Russian and other foreign actors on Syria," the discussion paper said.
Russia's intervention in Syria's civil war helped keep Assad in power for years and secured Moscow's strategic foothold on the Mediterranean. Since his overthrow, the Kremlin has been trying to secure a new deal with the current authorities to preserve access to the Tartous naval facility and Hmeimim air base, assets that underpin its military reach in the region. The EU document said Moscow's influence had diminished since Assad's fall, but its continued military presence and economic leverage remained a concern.
On the economic front, the EU is seeking to reintegrate Syria into Euro-Mediterranean cooperation frameworks and global trade networks, with a focus on transport, energy and digital connectivity. The bloc is encouraging the European Investment Bank to resume engagement with Syria and helping Damascus' efforts to become a shareholder in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, a step toward accessing reconstruction finance.
Syria faces enormous reconstruction needs after nearly 14 years of civil war that devastated infrastructure and crippled the economy, and its new authorities have sought foreign investment to rebuild and revive trade after years of international isolation. An EU-led coordination forum scheduled for November 17 in Damascus will focus on investment and private-sector engagement, laying the groundwork for a possible EU-Syria investment conference in 2027.
The proposed steps follow the resumption of the EU's 1978 cooperation agreement with Syria and the first high-level political dialogue between Brussels and Damascus in May. The EU has committed 620 million euros ($718 million) in support for Syria in 2026 and 2027, covering humanitarian assistance and socio-economic recovery. The EU's diplomatic service said that while Syria's transition is moving forward, "challenges remain high and accelerated progress is needed" on economic recovery, national reconciliation and the reintegration of internally displaced people and refugees.
