EU probes ambassador to Egypt as special envoy for Syria

BRUSSELS Nov. 11 () –

The member states of the European Union are studying appointing the until now EU ambassador to Egypt, Christian Berger, as special envoy for Syria, amid a possible change in the EU’s position regarding Damascus, after more than a decade of relations frozen by the outbreak of the civil war after the revolts of the Arab springs.

The name of Berger, an Austrian diplomat who was the highest representative of the EU in Egypt and previously in Turkey, is on the table, diplomatic sources have confirmed to Europa Press. The decision corresponds to the head of EU Foreign Affairs, although the decision is usually made in harmony with the 27.

Weeks ago, the EU External Action Service (EEAS) confirmed that the High Representative is considering appointing a special envoy for Syria and confirmed that consultations were underway, although the sources consulted indicate that there is still nothing concrete so it is probably It is the next head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, who assumes this appointment.

This step of the 27 is accompanied by a substantive debate following the interest of a group of EU countries in resuming relations with the Bashar al Assad regime, more than a decade after the start of the civil war. In particular, a series of countries such as Cyprus or Italy are interested in Syria being declared a safe zone and being able to cooperate to welcome refugees and migrants who are in Europe.

Thus, both the EEAS and the European Commission are immersed in this reflection, although any change in the EU’s position would be accompanied by a series of debates at the level of the 27, since not all Member States would support this shift.

It was last July when a group of eight member states put on the table the need to have a “more active, results-oriented and operational” policy towards Syria, after recognizing that the position “has not aged well.”

In a letter, Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia then demanded to appoint a special envoy to resume relations with the Syrian ambassador in Brussels and have some type of liaison with Damascus, which would mean softening the non-relations policy that the EU has maintained since 2011.

The European Commission opened months ago to explore formulas to allow the voluntary return of Syrian refugees to their country of origin, as Ursula von der Leyen defended a “structured approach” to voluntary return. The EU’s shift would come after the Arab League decided to readmit Damascus in 2023, after being expelled from the organization in 2011 due to the repression of protests and the outbreak of the civil war.