Switzerland extends humanitarian exemptions from sanctions on Syria
The Swiss Federal Council has decided to extend the humanitarian exemption from the sanctions imposed on Syria indefinitely.
The Council had previously announced a temporary easing of some sanctions for a period of six months, in order to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria.
According to a statement by the Swiss government, the European Union granted a temporary humanitarian exemption from sanctions imposed on Damascus on February 23, 2023, due to the serious humanitarian crisis that followed the February 2023 earthquake.
This exemption has been extended twice for international organizations and certain categories of humanitarian actors, and on 27 May 2024, the European Union extended the exemption for an additional year.
On 10 March 2023, the Swiss Federal Council decided to include a temporary humanitarian exemption in the decree on measures against Syria, for a period of six months, and it was subsequently extended twice.
The Swiss government statement stressed that the exemption means that targeted financial sanctions don’t apply to essential humanitarian activities of international organizations and some humanitarian actors, allowing these actors a degree of predictability and planning ability.
It’s worth noting that Switzerland has imposed sanctions in line with the European Union sanctions regime on Damascus since March 2011.
The Swiss sanctions include 317 individuals and 82 entities, while the European sanctions include 322 individuals and 81 entities.
