Elements for an EU regional strategy for Syria and Iraq as well as the Da’esh threat

Summary:

Joint Communication published on 6 February 2015 by the European Commission and the High-Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, which brings together a comprehensive strategy on tackling the crises in Syria and Iraq and the threat posed by Da'esh.

Further information:

This Joint Communication is a result of a call by the Council of the European Union for the development of a comprehensive and coordinated approach to tackle the crises in Syria and Iraq and the threat posed by Da'esh.

The purpose of this Joint Communication is to outline actions that the EU and its Member States aim to undertake to help restore peace and security in Syria and Iraq. The actions are based on in-depth analyses of the situations in both countries and the contributing factors to the current crises which include repressive dictatorial rule, armed conflicts, exclusionist and corrupt governance, human rights abuses, sectarian divisions, a sense of disenfranchisement of sections of the Sunni population as well as tensions between regional powers with their negative impact on the internal affairs of Syria and Iraq.

The strategy seeks to:

• Identify EU interests and set out the EU contribution to the broader international effort to achieve lasting peace and security in the region and counter the Da'esh threat;
• Achieve complementarity between the European Union and EU Member States;
• Address the commonalities of the crises in Iraq and Syria as well as their specificities;
• Encourage the countries of the region to take particular responsibility for ending the crises and tackling terrorism, and offer appropriate EU support;
• Recognise the limitations of security and counter-terrorism intervention.

The Commission also proposed an aid package for the years 2015-2016 amounting to €1 billion. The details of this proposal were set out in the Financial Statement annexed to this Communication.

The Council of the European Union adopted a set of conclusions on this regional strategy on 16 March 2015 and another set of conclusions on 23 May 2016.

• Primary Source

Official

European Commission: Press Release, 06/02/2015: New strategy mobilises all EU tools and €1 billion for Syria and Iraq https://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-4222_en.htm

Council of the European Union: Press Release, 16/03/2015: Council conclusions on the EU regional strategy for Syria and Iraq as well as the ISIL/Da'esh threat https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2015/03/16/council-conclusions-eu-regional-strategy-for-syria-and-iraq-as-well-as-the-isil-daesh-threat/

Council of the European Union: Press Release, 23/05/2016: Council conclusions on the EU regional strategy for Syria and Iraq as well as the Da'esh threat https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/05/23/fac-syria-iraq-daesh-conclusions/

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