As of 2024, several EU member states, including Austria, France, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Finland, Poland and the Netherlands, have their embassies in Damascus closed.

[7][5] In 2007, the Country Strategy Paper (CSP) and National Indicative Programme (NIP) were implemented, which shaped the relationship between the EU and Syria up until 2012 and focused on political, economic and social reforms.

[8] Despite the non-democratic character of the Syrian government, the EU upheld its trade relations with the state without addressing continuing human rights violations.

The EU shifted its focus from the Syrian government towards the fight against the Islamic State due to increasing security concerns.

After the fall of the Assad regime, Germany and France became the first European Union countries to visit Damascus, marking a significant step in their diplomatic engagement with Syria.

[13] In January 2025, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas announced that certain sanctions on specific sectors would be temporarily reduced in a 'step-by-step' process.

This process would depend on conditions such as human rights protections, explicitly those for ethnic and religious minorities as well as for women.

[14] She mentioned this plan was still subject to negotiations in Brussels, citing 'technical issues', and that the blacklist of (former) officials and organisations connected to the Assad regime would remain.