The European Union will provide roughly €620 million ($722 million) in funding to Syria over 2026 and 2027 to support post-war recovery, bilateral assistance and humanitarian relief, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday during a visit to Damascus.
Speaking in the Syrian capital, von der Leyen said the scale of reconstruction needs remained overwhelming after years of conflict and economic collapse under former president Bashar al-Assad. She said the EU's funding would focus on rebuilding essential services, supporting civilians and stabilising communities emerging from more than a decade of war.
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The announcement comes after the EU last year lifted its long-standing economic sanctions on Syria following the fall of Assad, a move that opened the door to renewed engagement with Damascus. Von der Leyen said Brussels now aims to restart talks on a cooperation agreement with Syria and plans to launch a new political partnership, including high-level diplomatic meetings in the first half of 2026.
At the same time, she voiced concern about renewed violence in northern Syria, describing recent clashes in Aleppo between government forces and Kurdish fighters as alarming. Von der Leyen stressed that sustained dialogue among all Syrian parties was urgently needed to prevent further instability.