The European Union (EU) is cautiously reconsidering its stance on Syria, aiming to facilitate safe returns for Syrian refugees as a growing number of member states advocate re-engagement. Over the past decade, millions of Syrians have fled their home country due to the ongoing civil war. The EU initially responded by imposing sanctions on President Bashar al-Assad’s government, severing diplomatic ties, and relocating its staff to neighboring Lebanon. However, with intensified calls for safe returns, member states including Italy, Cyprus, and Austria are prompting a re-evaluation of current policies.
During recent talks, EU ambassadors debated potential adjustments that could enable the EU to offer limited support on the ground in Syria, potentially through a new special envoy. According to EU Commission documentation, the proposed envoy would facilitate cooperation with local authorities and support job creation to encourage safe returns. However, several countries, notably Belgium, France, and Germany, maintain that this shift must not signal a normalization of relations with Assad’s government.
While some EU nations seek to expand the return of Syrian refugees from Europe, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has yet to recognize Syria as a safe country for such initiatives. Notably, the Dutch government recently expressed intentions to send refugees to “safe areas” in Syria, despite the European Court of Justice’s ruling that individual regions cannot be selectively declared safe.
In a July letter, Italy, Austria, and six other EU states cited increasing migration pressures as a reason to advance safe return programs. However, other EU diplomats remain cautious, noting the complexities of declaring Syria universally safe and the lack of clear connections between refugee movement and safety conditions.
Italy, meanwhile, is responding to its workforce challenges by recruiting skilled professionals from outside the EU. Italian Health Minister Orazio Schillaci announced plans to hire 10,000 nurses from India over the next year to help address the country’s estimated 30,000 nursing vacancies. Italy’s nurse-to-population ratio, currently at less than 17 nurses per 100,000 people, significantly trails behind other EU countries. Although Italy has increased work permits for non-EU workers to meet its economic needs, the recruitment push coincides with the government’s focus on controlling irregular migration through policies such as offshore migrant centers in Albania.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, faced with the need for healthcare professionals amid an aging population, may need to reconcile this effort with its past rhetoric on immigration. With over 200 Italian nursing graduates moving abroad annually for higher wages, hiring from countries like India offers an immediate solution to critical workforce gaps.
This combination of migration-related strategies highlights the EU’s complex stance on migration as it navigates economic, political, and humanitarian concerns in an evolving landscape.