Sanctions imposed on Syria have been temporarily eased by the EU to speed up aid deliveries to the country two weeks after a devastating earthquake.
EU member states will no longer need to give permission to aid organisations before sending supplies and services to sanctioned entities in Syria, the European Council said.
The decision was made "in view of the gravity of the humanitarian crisis in Syria exacerbated by the earthquake" and will last six months.
The 7.8-magnitude quake on February 6 has killed more than 42,000 people in Turkey and more than 3,600 in Syria.
The EU said it and its member states are leading donors of humanitarian aid to conflict-torn Syria, having contributed €27.4 billion ($26 billion) to the country and to neighbours hosting its refugees, such as Turkey, since 2011.
Another earthquake hits Turkey and Syria - in pictures
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A woman is assisted after another earthquake in Antakya in Hatay province, Turkey. All photos by Reuters -
People gather on a street after an earthquake in Adana, Turkey. -
A resident checks his smartphone after an earthquake in Antakya in Hatay province, Turkey. -
People react after an earthquake in Antakya in Hatay province, Turkey. -
People react after an earthquake in Antakya in Hatay province, Turkey. -
People react after an earthquake in Antakya in Hatay province, Turkey. -
Residents walk outside after an earthquake in Antakya in Hatay province, Turkey. -
A woman rests after an earthquake in Antakya in Hatay province, Turkey. -
People walk outside after an earthquake in Antakya in Hatay province, Turkey. -
People walk outside after an earthquake in Antakya in Hatay province, Turkey. -
People react after an earthquake in Antakya in Hatay province, Turkey. -
A woman is assisted after an earthquake in Antakya in Hatay province, Turkey.
After the earthquake, the EU provided €3.5 million for urgent humanitarian needs in Syria.
Syria's government and businesses linked to it have been under EU sanctions because of Damascus's violent repression, making European aid contributions tricky.
The EU sanctions were imposed in 2011, against 291 people and 70 entities for asset freezes and a travel ban.
Turkey and Syria earthquake latest - in pictures
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The coffin of former Ghana international football player Christian Atsu, who died in the earthquake in Turkey, arrives at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra in Ghana. AFP -
Petek Nur Sezer, a volunteer for the local NGO Haytap, feeds a kitten in Antakya, Turkey, where many animals are trapped in the rubble. AFP -
Mustafa Ozdimir helps his family as they collect goods from their collapsed shop in Antakya. AFP -
A woman collects a ration of cooked food distributed in Adiyaman, a Kurdish Alevi region in Turkey where 108 people died and 170 houses collapsed. AFP -
Women carry buckets of water in Yaylakonak village in Adiyaman, in Turkey. AFP -
A woman cries as she sits atop the rubble of her collapsed house in Yaylakonak village in Adiyaman, in Turkey. AFP -
A woman arranges medicine at a hospital in a camp in Antakya, in Turkey. Reuters -
Balloons attached to rubble in memory of children who died in the earthquake are seen at night in Hatay, in Turkey. Reuters -
A damaged building being demolished in Hatay, in Turkey. Reuters -
Injured at a hospital set up in a camp in Antakya. Reuters -
A man sits next to a bust of Turkey's founding father, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, in front of collapsed buildings in Hatay, in Turkey. Getty -
People drive past a collapsed buildings in Hatay, in Turkey. Getty -
A tilted building in Antakya. Reuters
"The EU has waived the need for humanitarian organisations to seek prior permission from EU member states' national competent authorities to make transfers or provide goods and services intended for humanitarian purposes to listed persons and entities," the Council said.
The UN World Health Organisation said on Wednesday that it was taking advantage of a post-earthquake pause in sanctions to move badly needed health supplies and equipment into Syria.
But activists and emergency teams in Syria's north-west have criticised the UN's slow response to the quake in rebel-held areas, comparing it with planeloads of humanitarian aid that have been delivered to government-controlled airports.
Emirati rescuers search for survivors in Latakia, Syria - in pictures
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Emirati rescuers search for survivors amid the rubble of a collapsed building in Latakia, northwest of the Syrian capital, following the deadly earthquake. All photos: AFP -
An Emirati rescuer, accompanied by a Syrian soldier, searches for survivors -
Aftershocks following the February 6 earthquake have added to the death toll -
Rescuers sift through rubble in Jableh -
The 7. 8-magnitude earthquake has caused widespread disruption in Syria -
A rescue dog joins the search -
Emirati rescuers sift through the rubble -
An Emirati rescuer, with the help of a dog, searches for survivors -
Emirati rescuers sift through the rubble
