The European Union will suspend sanctions on Syria as of Monday

The European Union plans to suspend sanctions on Syria in the areas of energy, transport and reconstruction, as of Monday.

The foreign ministers of the European Union countries are expected to discuss the Syrian issue during a meeting to be held in Brussels on February 24.

The European Union and the United States had imposed a set of sanctions on individuals and economic sectors in Syria during the reign of ousted Syrian President Bashar al Assad.

European leaders began to reconsider that approach after the overthrow of the Syrian regime.

Last January, the bloc’s ministers agreed on a roadmap to ease sanctions on Syria, leaving the rest of the details to negotiations.

The draft declaration states that the European Council has decided to suspend a number of restrictive measures in the areas of energy, transport and reconstruction, in addition to facilitating financial and banking transfers related to them.

The draft indicated that the European Union would extend indefinitely the humanitarian exemption that facilitates the delivery of humanitarian aid.

“As part of a phased approach and as a next step, the Council will assess whether to suspend further restrictive measures… The Council will continue to ensure that the suspension remains appropriate based on close monitoring of the situation in the country,” the draft added.