What changed between the draft committee report and the plenary report

Removed:(k) urge Member States to continue repatriating their nationals from the Al-Hol and Roj jihadist prison camps and to try them for the crimes they have committed;

Added:(j) step up efforts to counter Russian and Iranian disinformation about Syria, including disinformation in Arabic; take the necessary steps to ensure that online platforms substantially increase their fight against disinformation in the region, in particular through the recruitment of Arabic-speakers to moderate online content;

Removed:(l) step up efforts to counter Russian disinformation about Syria, including disinformation in Arabic;

Added:(k) condemn the launch of rockets by Syrian forces from Syrian territory towards Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan heights, and the sending of an unarmed drone to the north of Israel; condemn the repeated attempts by Hezbollah to receive Iranian weapons through Syrian territory; condemn the Assad regime’s permissive attitude towards Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups, especially with regard to facilitation efforts in the Iraq conflict, as it has fed the growth of Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and affiliated terrorist networks inside Syria;

Added:(l) underline that Israel has occupied a part of the Syrian territory in the Golan Heights since 1967 and that the Israeli military continues to launch air strikes and other forms of attacks on Syrian territory;

Added:(m) ensure that Syria-related EU resolutions, reports and decisions are translated into Arabic;

Fight against impunity

Change 11

Removed:(m) stress that the fight against impunity in Syria is a moral and political imperative for Europe; welcome the judicial progress made by the Franco-German Joint Investigation Team regarding the 11 000 bodies of torture victims identified in the César report, the suspension of Syria from the International Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the progress made in Germany, France and Sweden in bringing Syrian criminals to justice;

Added:(n) stress that the fight against impunity in Syria is a prerequisite for any future resolution of the ongoing crisis, as well as a moral and political imperative for Europe and the international community; welcome the judicial progress made by the Franco-German Joint Investigation Team regarding the 11 000 bodies of torture victims identified in the César report, the suspension of Syria from the International Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons; welcome the issuance of international arrest warrants against Bashar Al-Assad, his brother Maher Al-Assad and two generals, by French courts in November 2023, for crimes against humanity in relation to attacks with chemical weapons against civilians; welcome the ICJ order directing Syria to take all measures within its power to prevent acts of torture and other abuses after the Netherlands and Canada filed a case regarding Syria’s violation of the international Convention against Torture; welcome also the progress made in Germany, France and Sweden in bringing Syrian criminals to justice, such as through the criminal trials in Koblenz and Frankfurt; encourage all EU Member States to implement universal jurisdiction, where applicable to the respective constitutional order; support attempts to bring the leadership of the Syrian regime to justice; call for the pooling of expertise and interpreters among the judicial and police authorities, and for a public prosecutor for crimes against humanity to be appointed in each Member State; call on EU Member States to establish specialised war crime units within law enforcement and prosecution services, in those cases where they do not already exist, and ensure they are adequately resourced; encourage the Member States to pay particular attention to, and prevent, the activities of Syrian intelligence services and their influence on the Syrian diaspora, including the protection of witnesses; call for European scholarships to be specifically allocated to Syrians seeking legal training in the fight against impunity;

Removed:(n) urge that information be exchanged automatically between all Member States on war criminals whose asylum applications are rejected under Article 1(F) of the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees;

Added:(o) urge that information be exchanged automatically between all Member States on war criminals whose asylum applications are rejected under Article 1(F) of the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees; call on Member States to establish a European fund for victims of serious violations of international law in Syria, including victims of torture, by identifying existing funds linked to violations of international law in Syria within their jurisdictions, such as monetary judgements, sanctions, fines and penalties, forfeiture orders, funds frozen as they are linked to property unlawfully acquired by the Syrian regime, and other revenue; call to develop a legal framework allowing the transfer of such funds to the families of the victims, including victims of torture; recall that such funds must be carefully designed in full cooperation with the families of the victims; recognise the ongoing threat of illicit trafficking in looted art and cultural goods from Syria by both the Assad regime and ISIS; urge the EU’s action plan against trafficking in cultural goods to be strengthened along with third country cooperation to ensure that cultural goods are protected, removed from the black market, and are repatriated to the countries of origin when conditions permit; welcome the adoption of the UN General Assembly resolution of 29 June 2023 establishing an Institution for Missing Persons in Syria, and the continued funding of the International, Independent and Impartial Mechanism to support investigations into the most serious crimes committed in Syria since 2011; urge the EU and its Member States to expand the list of those subject to targeted sanctions under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime (the so-called EU Magnitsky Act), including the Syrian and Russian civilian and military commanders who may have command responsibility for or have been credibly implicated in war crimes, crimes against humanity and other serious violations committed in north-west Syria;

Removed:(o) call for the pooling of expertise and interpreters among the judicial and police authorities, and for a public prosecutor to be appointed in each Member State for crimes against humanity; call for European scholarships to be specifically allocated to Syrians seeking legal training;

Removed:(p) call on Member States to establish a European fund for victims of crimes against humanity in Syria, by developing a legal framework allowing the transfer to families of the victims funds frozen for being linked to property unlawfully acquired by the Syrian regime;

Removed:(q) welcome the adoption of the UN General Assembly resolution of 29 June 2023 establishing an Institution for Missing Persons in Syria, and the continued funding of the International, Independent and Impartial Mechanism to support investigations into the most serious crimes committed in Syria since 2011;

Humanitarian aid and refugees

Change 12

Changed:(r)(p) inviteurge the international community, at the 2024 Brussels Conference, to increase urgently increase its humanitarian assistance to the 15.3 million Syrians who depend on it on a daily basis; insist on access to clean water, including drinking water, sanitary water and water for agricultural purposes, formal education, also for girls and women, energy supply, affordable motor fuels, education and long-term budget support tailored to women’s needs; focus on directing humanitarian aid especially towards clean water, affordable energy, heating, healthcare and health products; call on the Commission and the Member States to step up efforts to support the work of local civil society and refugee-led organisations; stress the importance for aid agencies of reinforcing accountability to the beneficiaries of assistance and act on their feedback and needs, in line with the principle of ‘accountability to affected populations’; point out that the EU is the biggest contributor in this regard; welcome the continued efforts of Lebanon, Jordan, Türkiye and Iraq to host 6six million refugees while facing difficult economic conditions; remind these countries of their obligation to adhere to international law in this regard; reiterate the need to guarantee the status of refugees, notably in the main host countries of Türkiye, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq, and to refrain from any discrimination towards minorities; recognise the huge cultural heritage of Syria as a major part of the world’s cultural heritage and as a source of solutions to some of the country’s problems; recognise Aramaic as an endangered minority language, since it is only spoken by about 100 000 people in Syria, while in Europe this number is as high as 500 000 people;

Change 13

Removed:(s) condemn the systematic attempts by the Syrian regime to divert international humanitarian aid and transfer it to militias, and the regime’s manipulation of exchange rates with the aim of seizing the majority of the aid in the territories under its control;

Added:(q) strongly condemn Russia’s countless vetoes against delivering aid to the people in the north of Syria, specifically its veto on the renewal of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2672 (2023), thereby not allowing an extension of humanitarian access through Bab al-Hawa; denounce once again Russia’s attempts to tarnish the image of the ‘White Helmets’ (Syrian civil defence); stress that the White Helmets play a significant role in the rescue of Syrian civilians; commend the work of journalists, bloggers and individuals as well as organisations, such as the White Helmets, who, despite the brutality of the regime, continue to carry out their work in the country, informing the international community, supporting victims on the ground and maintaining their focus on the future of the country; note the government’s decision to grant further access to UN humanitarian agencies and partners through the Bab al-Hawa corridor until 13 January 2024, and Bab al-Salam and al-Rai until 13 February 2024; remind all parties responsible of the absolute need to keep these accesses open; urge the Commission and the Member States to, in parallel with robust diplomatic action at the level of the UN Security Council, obtain the continued operation of the border crossings of Bab al-Hawa, Bab al-Salaam and al-Rai, for at least 12 months; explore the possibility of also channelling resources through the recently established ‘Aid Fund for Northern Syria’; condemn the systematic attempts by the Syrian regime to divert international humanitarian aid and transfer it to militias, and the regime’s manipulation of exchange rates in order to appropriate the majority of the aid destined for the territories under its control;

Removed:(t) strongly condemn Russia’s countless vetos against delivering aid to the people in the north; denounce once again Russia’s attempts to tarnish the image of white helmets;

Added:(r) recall that Syria cannot be regarded, in whole or in part, as a safe country for the return of Syrian nationals living as refugees and asylum seekers in Europe and around the world, people who have fled the crimes of the regime and risk torture and enforced disappearance if they return to Syria; reiterate to host countries, such as Türkiye, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt, that Syria is not a safe country, neither in whole nor in part, and that Syrian nationals can therefore not return safely; stress that each and every return must be voluntary and be under dignified conditions; stress that some Syrians have fled terror organisations operating in Syria such as ISIS; stress that there are areas in Syria where violent jihadist groups and militias are still active; highlight the impact of the Syrian conflict on the 438 000 Palestinian refugees estimated to be in the country and who depend primarily on the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) for their basic needs; express concern regarding the Agency’s financial situation and call for Palestinian refugees to be better included in the EU’s humanitarian plans in Syria;

Removed:(u) recall that Syria cannot be regarded, in whole or in part, as a safe country for the return of its nationals living as refugees in Europe, people who have fled the crimes of the regime and risk torture and enforced disappearance if they return to Syria;

Added:°

Removed:2. Instructs the President of Parliament to forward this recommendation to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and to have it translated and published in Arabic.

Added:° °

Added:2. Instructs its President to forward this recommendation to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and to have it translated and published in Arabic.