Since March 2025, Frontex—the European Border and Coast Guard Agency—has coordinated the voluntary return of more than 1,000 Syrian nationals from 14 EU Member States back to Syria. The milestone was announced in a Frontex press release on 28 May, highlighting the agency’s role in “creating the conditions for safe, voluntary and dignified returns” following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime .
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Hans Leijtens, Frontex’s Executive Director, emphasised the humanitarian dimension of these operations:
“Returning home is a deeply human aspiration. For many, it means reuniting with family, reclaiming their lives, and restoring their dignity.”.
Each return is conducted under strict safeguards, with Frontex officers providing migrants with information on departure procedures, potential risks, and their rights. National authorities remain responsible for verifying that returns are genuinely voluntary and that returnees possess valid travel documents and the capacity to reintegrate.
UNHCR Reports Hundreds of Thousands of Returns via Neighbouring Countries
Beyond EU-facilitated flights, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) tracks a far larger movement of people. As of 20 March 2025, UNHCR estimates that 356,200 Syrians have crossed back into Syria from neighbouring Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt since 8 December 2024—shortly after the fall of the Assad government . Furthermore, more than 1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned to their home regions within Syria during the same period, bringing the total number of returnees to well over 1.3 million .
These large-scale return movements underscore a complex reality: while some refugees choose to go home of their own accord, others may face coercion or the absence of local livelihoods. The EU stresses that returns must be “safe, voluntary and dignified,” yet UNHCR and human rights organizations caution that on-the-ground conditions in Syria remain precarious.
Lifting Sanctions to Encourage Sustainable Reintegration
To support returns, the European Union has begun easing long-standing sanctions on Syria’s economy. At the EU Foreign Affairs Council in February 2025, Member States agreed to remove 24 entities—including the Central Bank of Syria—from the asset-freeze list. The aim is to revive critical sectors such as banking, energy and transport, making Syria a more stable environment for returnees to rebuild their lives.
Commissioner for Home Affairs and Immigration Magnus Brunner explained:
“EU support and suspension of sanctions are commensurate with developments in the country. We stand ready to introduce new restrictive measures against those who violate human rights and fuel instability in Syria.”
This calibrated approach links sanction relief to on-the-ground progress: any reversal of political or security gains could trigger a reinstatement of restrictions.
Political Transition and the Role of New Leadership
Underlying the EU’s strategy is its bet on Syria’s transitional authorities. In March 2025, an interim leadership under President Ahmad al-Sharaa signed a constitutional declaration, pledging democratic reforms and accountability for wartime atrocities. Yet the same period saw renewed clashes in Alawite-majority regions, with reports of mass executions and ethnic cleansing.
Brussels insists that a stable, inclusive government is essential to guaranteeing the safety of returnees. Commissioner Brunner highlighted the UNHCR’s tally—nearly 890,000 IDPs back in their home areas since November 2024—as evidence that Syrians are returning where conditions permit.
NGO Concerns and Human Rights Safeguards
Despite official optimism, NGOs and watchdogs warn that many returnees face ongoing risks:
- Persecution and Arbitrary Detention: Human Rights Watch has documented cases of returnees—especially men—being detained by security forces or armed factions.
- Lack of Essential Services: Large swathes of Syria still suffer from damaged infrastructure, limited healthcare and education, and food insecurity.
- Coercive Practices: Reports from Cyprus and elsewhere suggest some “voluntary” returns may follow orders to leave or incentives that mask underlying compulsion.
NGOs urge the EU to maintain robust monitoring and to ensure that funding for humanitarian aid and reconstruction accompanies any sanction relief.
Next Steps: Ensuring Durable Solutions
The EU and UNHCR agree that returns represent only one facet of a broader recovery:
- Humanitarian Assistance: Continued EU funding—roughly €2 billion for Syria in 2025—must support shelter, legal aid and livelihoods for both returnees and remaining displaced populations.
- Reconstruction Investment: Infrastructure rehabilitation and access to international payment systems (e.g., re-admission to SWIFT) are critical to jump-starting Syria’s economy.
- Political Dialogue: The upcoming ninth Brussels Conference on Syria (scheduled for 17 March 2025) aims to mobilise international donors to back an “inclusive transition” and set benchmarks for democratic progress.
Commissioner Brunner reaffirmed the EU’s conditional approach:
“Creating the conditions for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees requires ongoing progress in human rights, security, and economic recovery. Our support and sanction relaxation remain firmly tied to these developments.”
As Frontex’s assisted flights continue and UNHCR-tracked returns climb past the one-million mark, the EU faces the delicate task of balancing migration management with the principles of refugee protection and Syria’s uncertain path toward peace.
