EU to host conference on the Future of Syria
The EU will host the fifth Brussels Conference on “Supporting the future of Syria and the region” virtually today.
The conference coincides with the tenth anniversary of the uprising that began the brutal, decade-long Syrian Civil War. To date, official estimates put the conflict’s death toll between 380,000 and 550,000, while 5.6 million civilians have fled to neighboring countries. Looking to end the conflict, the EU Council called for renewed diplomatic efforts in late February by adopting the Joint Communication on Renewed Partnership with the Southern Neighborhood.
Today, expect the EU to reaffirm its stance on finding a diplomatic solution to ending the civil war. Nevertheless, brokering a peace deal without the cooperation of Moscow (the main international patron of Bashar al-Assad’s regime) seems unlikely as EU-Russia relations continue to sour. Instead, expect the conference to prioritise securing more humanitarian aid for Syria and the surrounding nations in the short-term. The EU has been the largest humanitarian donor to the region since the war broke out, having mobilised nearly $30 billion in aid since 2011, and views these conferences as a prime opportunity to secure more funding. Expect most humanitarian aid to support these refugees and the countries hosting them.
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