The European Union announced on Thursday the temporary easing of its sanctions against Syria in order to facilitate the delivery of aid to this country, affected by the February 6 earthquake.
Humanitarian organizations will no longer need to seek prior authorization from EU member states to send material or provide services to entities subject to EU sanctions, the European Council said in a statement.
Severity of the humanitarian crisis
This measure, lasting six months, was taken "given the seriousness of the humanitarian crisis in Syria, exacerbated by the earthquake", specifies the text.
The earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.8, killed more than 42,000 people in Turkey and more than 3,600 in Syria.
The EU stresses that it and its Member States are the leading donors to Syria, with a total of €27.4 billion in donations to the country and to neighbors hosting refugees, such as Turkey, since 2011. After the earthquake, the EU provided €3.5 million to meet urgent humanitarian needs in Syria.
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The Syrian government and companies linked to it are subject to EU sanctions due to the repression carried out by Damascus, which makes European contributions in terms of humanitarian aid difficult.
The EU sanctions, imposed in 2011, target 291 individuals and 70 entities and include asset freezes and travel bans.
The change made on Thursday means that "the EU has exempted humanitarian organizations from seeking prior authorization (...) from Member States to make transfers or supply goods and services intended for humanitarian purposes to persons and entities listed on the list,” the statement said.