The European factor

As the EU readies its second Day of Dialogue this year, this time in Damascus, a more engaged European approach to Syria is emerging. Key questions remain: when full diplomatic ties will return, how to balance work with the government and civil society, and how to handle Russia’s enduring influence. On these questions, Syria in Transition spoke with Michael Ohnmacht, the EU’s Chargé d’affaires in Damascus.

Ohnmacht: The Day of Dialogue will be held on 15 November in Damascus, for the first time – in the nearly 10 years of its existence – inside Syria. Civil society has always been present at the Brussels conferences. From that point of view, the 9th Brussels conference in March 2025 was not an exception. 

Unlike in the previous years, Brussels witnessed, for the first time ever, the presence of representatives of a Syrian government – namely the Minister of Foreign Affairs – side by side with the Syrian civil society. This marks a big shift in approach by all sides, which was only made possible by the fall of the Assad regime. 

Thus, the ministerial segment of the Brussels Conference, which took place in March and convenes ministers, international partners and the UN, focused on political coordination and fundraising (the Brussels Conference in March raised EUR 5.8 billion). 

The Day of Dialogue has a different tradition: this day was always a civil society-focused forum. It was essential for all actors to celebrate the day of dialogue this year in Syria, in Damascus, to engage Syrian civil society directly on governance, transitional justice, inclusion and related topics – but in close coordination and cooperation with the Syrian interim authorities. 

The EU has long supported Syrian civil society and maintains strong networks. Whereas under the Assad regime many actors worked in exile, this meeting will bring together CSOs from all over Syria and also from the diaspora. That these voices can finally convene in Damascus after years of repression is highly significant. It signals space for civic engagement and will be crucial in helping to restore trust and to rebuild social fabric. 

This day is also designed for the EU and donors, to be practical and useful for the transition, and we are investing significant effort to ensure the discussions yield tangible results.

Ohnmacht: The EU Delegation to Syria operates mainly from Damascus. It was never closed totally in order to be able to organise humanitarian help for all of Syria and for all Syrians. Our colleagues from the humanitarian office – ECHO – were especially present after the earthquake in 2023 to carry out their humanitarian work. At the same time, we did not have political relations with the former Syrian regime – for well-understood reasons.

This changed totally with the fall of the Assad regime. Starting from December 2024, I went to Damascus to establish good relations with the new authorities. From January 2025 onwards, we have been regularly in Damascus to be in touch with authorities and civil society. Since then, we have constantly upgraded our presence and are now – as far as I know – the biggest Western diplomatic representation in Syria. This presence is crucial for the work ahead and marks an important moment for the EU’s engagement in Syria. 

As I began my mandate at a time when we did not have political relations with the authorities (the former regime), it was natural to name me as a chargé d’affaires and not as an ambassador. But given that the circumstances have changed on the ground substantially, the question if my post will also be formally changed into an ambassadorial one,  will surely arise. On this we will coordinate with our partners within the EU, and as ambassadorial accreditations follow specific rules between the sending state or organisation and the host country also with our Syrian counterparts. 

Ohnmacht: The work of the EU mission in Damascus is quite close to the work of other missions of the EU worldwide or those of embassies of national states in other countries. We engage with the Syrian transitional authorities, with civil society, with local communities, media, economic actors. This engagement is complementary and not a competing one. 

The support for civil society has been central for the EU’s engagement with Syrians and with Syria for more than a decade. We will keep this engagement, as we believe that civil society has to play an essential role in the transition. I truly believe that this is also the conviction of the Syrian authorities. The “Day of Dialogue”, held this year, for the first time, in Damascus, is living proof. We had a very constructive engagement in the last months together with our partners from the government – the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Social affairs and Labour – and with our partners from the CSO to make that possible. 

The big qualitative change since December 2024 is that we engage now deeply with governmental institutions. To put it bluntly: before 8 December, we worked against a Syrian regime; today we work with a Syrian transitional government. Our aim is to support making the difficult transitional process a success. I am deeply convinced that this is only possible if this process is inclusive and open. 

We therefore believe in the implementation of the Constitutional Declaration and the five-year transition plan, and we want to support newly established bodies (including the National Authority for Transitional Justice, the National Commission for Missing Persons and the Supreme Committee for People’s Assembly Elections), while simultaneously sustaining and amplifying civil society voices from across Syria and the diaspora to ensure practical participation in governance, transitional justice and reconciliation. 

In our interactions with the transitional authorities, we stress repeatedly the need for true inclusivity, improvements to the overall security situation, and the preservation of a pluralistic civic space as preconditions for success. This goes through a frank, open and constant dialogue.

We also stress the importance of accountability by urging impartial investigations by national and international mechanisms, including the Independent International Commission of Inquiry, and we call on the transitional government to follow up on the UN Commission of Inquiry report on coastal and western central Syria. 

These objectives are mutually reinforcing, and our presence in Damascus allows the EU to promote and support progress across all these fronts.

Ohnmacht: It is not the EU policy to interfere with foreign policy decisions of a third country. the European Union supports a Syrian-led, Syrian-owned transition in which all external parties respect Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. We therefore work in coordination with regional partners and international actors, and we remain in close contact with counterparts in Syria and across the region.

At the same time, we continue to carefully monitor Russia’s actions in Syria and remain extremely vigilant, including monitoring reports that Russia and Iranian-backed groups may have contributed to the coastal violence in March.

We also recall that Russia was the principal accomplice of the Assad regime’s brutal repression during the conflict. Our approach combines promoting a stable, accountable and inclusive transition led by Syrians themselves and fully respecting Syria’s unity, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.