The 15th of March 2021 marked the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the Syrian revolution. A revolution that started as peaceful protests in the Southern Syrian City of Deraa but rapidly turned into one of the most internationalized and deadliest wars of the 21st century. The conflict, which has plagued the country with military, political and humanitarian crises, also had heavy repercussions on its neighbourhood and beyond. Indeed, the outburst of an all-out war in Syria rapidly sent EU policymakers into distress, tormented by internal divisions following the multiple waves of refugees fleeing the region and struck by acts of foreign terrorism. But, as some European countries such as France and the United Kingdom sought to directly intervene within the conflict[1], the EU remained for the most part as inactive as irrelevant.
Accordingly, in March 2017, the EU presented its updated strategy for Syria[2]. However, this strategy strictly followed the largely ineffective previous one which had been devised as late as 2013, two years after the onset of the war[3]. European policymakers chose to reiterate their deep concerns in face of the atrocities, offering humanitarian aid to the neighbouring countries, supporting an UN-led political solution, sanctioning figures of the Syrian regime and its accomplices and, at last, presented its future commitments towards Syria based on the achievement of a “comprehensive, genuine and inclusive political transition”[4]. However, as the conflict entered its 10th year, it is clear that the EU’s strategy did only bear some scarce fruits, if any.
COMMENTARY | Why It is the Right Time for the EU to Renew Its Strategy for Syria — by @BenjaminFeve
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[1] Julian Borger & Peter Beaumon (14 April 2018). Syria: US, UK and France launch strikes in response to chemical attack.
[2] European Commission (14 March 2017). JOINT COMMUNICATION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL. Elements for an EU strategy for Syria.
https://eeas.europa.eu/sites/default/files/celex3a52017jc00113aen3atxt.pdf
[3] European Commission (24 June 2013). JOINT COMMUNICATION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS. TOWARDS A COMPREHENSIVE EU APPROACH TO THE SYRIAN CRISIS.
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52013JC0022&from=FR
[4] European Commission (14 March 2017). JOINT COMMUNICATION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL. Elements for an EU strategy for Syria.
https://eeas.europa.eu/sites/default/files/celex3a52017jc00113aen3atxt.pdf
