European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Antonio Costa on Friday met Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara during their first visit to Damascus since the downfall of Bashar Al Assad's regime more than a year ago.
The trip highlighted Europe's desire to strengthen ties with Damascus amid increasing pressure from far-right parties for Syrian refugees to be returned to their homeland. Mr Al Shara's government is hoping to attract financial help from Europe to stabilise its fragile economy after 14 years of civil war.
"The fall of the Assad regime opened a new era of hope for your people," Mr Costa told Mr Al Shara. "You can count on the European Union to support efforts to have a peaceful, inclusive Syria."
Several offers were made to Mr Al Shara during the visit, including relaunching a Syria-EU co-operation agreement to enable access to the European market. A high-level political meeting is planned for the first half of 2026, although no location has been announced.
Sitting alongside Mr Costa, Ms von der Leyen said: "We would like Syrians to have a real prospect of coming back home and rebuilding their lives here."
The aim is to "explore together how the European Union can best support Syria's path towards recovery, reconstruction and civil peace", Ms von der Leyen added.
The EU also offered €620 million ($722 million) in aid to Syria from 2026 to 2027. "This whole package is necessary to support the government in restoring the essential services for the population and to rebuild the state institutions," Ms von der Leyen said.
Rebuilding Syria has been estimated by the World Bank to cost $216 billion.
The European leaders were first welcomed by Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani at the Presidential Palace in Damascus. It was their second stop in a regional tour that had already taken them first to Amman for the first EU-Jordan summit. They later travelled to Beirut, where they both signalled support for the completion of the first phase of the Lebanese government's plan to disarm Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Ms von der Leyen also emphasised the EU's efforts to encourage Syrian refugees to return home. Lebanon hosts the highest number of refugees per capita in the world.
"For this, stability and economic recovery inside Syria remain of the essence and this was the message at the core of our visit to Damascus earlier today," she said.
European officials have said their engagement with Damascus depends on the government's respect for minority rights. The bloc has kept a close eye on tense relations between Syria's leadership and western-allied Kurdish groups. Mr Al Shara spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron on the phone, shortly before a US-mediated ceasefire was announced in Aleppo after clashes between Kurdish fighters and the Syrian army.
"The President urged his counterpart to exercise restraint and reiterated France's commitment to a united Syria where all segments of Syrian society are represented and protected," the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
Foreign ministers from Germany and France were among the first high-level visitors to Damascus after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, but such visits have declined in recent months as Syria focuses on mending ties with the US.
Washington this week mediated a historic rapprochement between Israel and Syria. The countries have agreed for the first time to participate in a joint communication office to find a security arrangement, after Israel took over a buffer zone in the Golan Heights last year.
The EU is also engaged in Syria to offer technical expertise. As previously reported by The National, the EU embassy in Damascus is setting up a technical assistance centre within the Syrian Foreign Ministry.
