European Union extends earthquake humanitarian exemptions on Syria sanctions

The EU Commission announced on Thursday that additional countries aligned with the Commission's decision to extend humanitarian exemptions which loosen restrictions on working with Syrian individuals and entities sanctioned by the EU, exemptions initially put in place to facilitate aid after the 6 February earthquake.

The exemptions, originally adopted on 23 February, were extended until 24 February 2024.

Criticism mounted against the EU and US after the February earthquake, as some blamed their restrictive sanctions regime as having hampered the flow of aid to Syria in the wake of the disaster.

Western sanctions were imposed on the Syrian regime after its bloody crackdown on peaceful protesters during the 2011 Syrian revolution.

The US also adopted sanctions exemptions on 9 February for "all transactions related to earthquake relief" for six months.

The EU and the US noted that their sanctions regimes had humanitarian exemptions and "do not prohibit the provision of humanitarian aid to persons in need."

Neither sanction regime prohibits the import of food, medicine, medical equipment or other humanitarian goods.

However, critics have said that sanctions have a "chilling effect" on any trade related to Syria and can impact even those essential goods that fall under humanitarian exemptions.

Under the 2019 Caesar Act, US sanctions are particularly comprehensive, as they can sanction any national or entity in the world that does a "significant" transaction with the Syrian regime or a sanctioned individual.

The extension of the EU humanitarian exemptions occurs as a broader debate over the efficacy of Western sanctions on Syria.

Proponents of the sanctions say they are essential to ensuring accountability for the Assad regime, which is accused of committing war crimes against Syrians, including torture and indiscriminate bombing.

Critics say that the effect of sanctions is borne mainly by Syrian civilians via their cumulative effects on the Syrian economy rather than by the Syrian elites they are meant to target.

The Biden administration has been less active in enforcing sanctions against the Syrian regime and entities dealing with it compared to previous US presidential administrations.

Members of the US Congress have pushed the Biden administration to take a more robust line against the Assad regime, particularly regarding sanctions relief.

On 26 July, US House Foreign Affairs Committee members introduced a bill prohibiting the Biden administration from extending its humanitarian exemptions, set to expire on 8 August.



Editor's note: This article originally stated that the EU Commission extended the humanitarian exemptions on July 27, which was incorrect. The Commission extended the exemptions on July 14. This article reflects these new corrections.