Enab Baladi – Jana al-Issa

With financial commitments valued at approximately 29% less, the international donors’ conference on Syria organized by the European Union concluded its annual meeting in the Belgian capital, Brussels. For the first time, however, it received Syrian representation based on an official invitation to the Syrian Foreign Ministry.

The financial pledges made by donor countries at the conference held on March 17 were met with dissatisfaction, especially from international and UN organizations operating in Syria, as they cover only a small part of the country’s needs, especially in light of the changes imposed by the fall of the ousted regime and the urgent need for reconstruction rather than merely temporary relief and humanitarian aid.

Politically, the European Union’s stance appeared positive towards the Syrian government, but it was conditional and cautious. For instance, it was not transparently addressed that these aid funds would be provided directly to the government, nor was there any willingness to entirely and unconditionally lift the European sanctions imposed on Syria due to the violations committed by the previous regime.

Since 2017, the European Union has organized donor conferences in Brussels to support Syria, and this year’s conference was titled: “Standing with Syria: Meeting the Needs for a Successful Transition.”

Lower commitments than hoped for

The total value of commitments from donor countries at the ninth Brussels conference dedicated to supporting Syria and neighboring countries reached €5.8 billion (USD 6.3 billion), a sum lower than that provided in 2024, due to the absence of contributions from the United States this year.

The US had pledged €545 million at the Brussels 8th conference, according to data provided by the European Union.

European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, stated that donor countries committed a total of €5.8 billion, which includes €4.2 billion in grants and €1.6 billion in loans.

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said that these commitments would support Syria during this critical transitional phase and address urgent needs on the ground.

Who will receive the funds?

In previous Brussels conferences held over the past eight years, the financial commitments made by donor countries, of which only a portion has been fulfilled, reached Syria through UN organizations and agencies working on the ground.

The official invitation extended to the Syrian government to attend the conference for the first time in its history suggests that funds could be channeled directly through the government itself, which needs these funds due to the urgent priorities, especially concerning the reconstruction file, which has not actually happened.

To obtain information regarding how the commitment funds will reach Syria and the entities that will receive them, in addition to the nature of the oversight role that the European Union will exercise regarding the spending of funds, as well as the sectors that will be focused on in financing, Enab Baladi contacted the press office of the EU delegation to Syria but did not receive a response by the time of this report’s release.

In a related context, the Asharq al-Awsat newspaper quoted Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares Bueno stating that the EU will provide the majority of its commitments from the Brussels 9th conference as in-kind assistance via international agencies and humanitarian organizations, and not directly through the transitional Syrian government.

Four main priorities

If the commitments proposed at the Brussels 9th conference are fully paid, which does not happen every year, they still fall short of the country’s needs, as confirmed by political economy researcher Joseph Daher to Enab Baladi.

The cost of reconstruction in Syria ranges between $250 and $400 billion, and more than half of the Syrian population remains displaced both within and outside the country. Ninety percent of the population lives below the poverty line, and 16.7 million people, or three out of four Syrians, rely on humanitarian aid by 2024, according to figures from the United Nations.

In this context, Daher noted that any political actor succeeding the Assad regime faces a colossal task, while the needs of the population and the country continue to grow.

In addition to the country’s structural economic problems and sanctions, the austerity measures (ending state subsidies and laying off civil servants) by the new ruling authority increase the cost of living and the needs of the population.

Joseph Daher, Political economy researcher

In light of the decreased value of commitments compared to Brussels 8th, Daher believes that Syria’s economic priorities can be summarized in four main determinants:

• Increasing the conversion of emergency aid into reconstruction aid.
• Lifting the sanctions imposed on the country and revitalizing the economy.
• Rebuilding the country’s infrastructure, especially electricity and energy resources, transportation networks, and health and education institutions.
• Investing in the productive sectors of the economy, especially industry and agriculture, and supporting national production.

The cost of inaction is higher than the cost of support

Following the announcement of the financial commitments values at Brussels 9th conference, the International Rescue Committee warned that the commitments, which declined by 29% compared to last year’s pledges, would not be enough to bridge the growing funding gap that continues to severely hinder humanitarian response. It explained that the value of these commitments would not suffice to support Syrians in recovery and reconstruction after decades of devastation.

For its part, the United Nations urged donor countries not to relent in their support for Syria, as the cost of inaction is greater than the cost of support. Adam Abdelmoula, the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, stated at an online press conference on March 20 that the cost of inaction “is much higher than addressing the immediate and medium-term needs of the Syrian people.”

He added that Syria stands at a “turning point” with the beginning of a new era of “hope for peace and security,” warning of the fallout from 14 years of military actions, as 16.5 million people currently require humanitarian assistance in Syria.

“Under the microscope”

In a closed session for EU ministers prior to the Brussels conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, ministers emphasized that the EU is determined to assist the new regime “provided that the transitional government supports us with its actions, measures, and concrete steps to respect and protect all minorities and establish clear legislative frameworks that ensure the respect of fundamental freedoms, especially women’s rights.”

Despite the positive expectations surrounding Brussels 9th conference from a political standpoint, some believe that recent security developments in the Syrian coast have led the European Union to “put the new Syrian regime under the microscope,” as stated by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen before the Council of EU Foreign Ministers, and to monitor the measures taken before proceeding with any step towards providing more aid and lifting economic sanctions.

Political researcher at the Dimensions Center for Studies Firas Faham told Enab Baladi that the continuity of US sanctions will remain an obstacle for proposing genuine reconstruction projects from the Europeans, as Europe does not want to escalate tensions with the US administration.

According to Faham, the US’ concerns justify the EU’s reluctance to adopt a clear support policy for the reconstruction of Syria, indicating that instead, Europeans are directing funding towards neighboring countries and UN organizations to oversee some early recovery projects.

Commenting on the European caution and control over not fully opening up with the Damascus government, Faham pointed out political demands within the EU related to ensuring that Russia does not continue using Syrian coastlines and airspace and its presence in the Mediterranean Basin as a “threat to European national security.”

From this perspective, the European Union wants to ensure the extent to which there will be a reevaluation of relations between Damascus and Moscow.

Faham expects that there is an EU tendency towards further reducing sanctions, but the American stance and the readiness of the US to lessen the sanctions imposed on Syria will significantly impact this context.