The European Parliament (EP) has approved a resolution entitled “The Need for EU Support for a Just Transition and Reconstruction in Syria,” which endorses the new Syrian interim government and fails to explicitly condemn the massacres committed by its associated militias against religious minorities, including Christians. The killings should come as no surprise to MEPs, given that the new government is led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, former leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and ex-member of Al-Qaeda.
The resolution was passed on Wednesday, March 12th, with 462 votes in favor (72%), 76 against (12%), and 106 abstentions (16%). The support was almost unanimous from the European People’s Party (EPP), the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Renew Europe, and the Greens/European Free Alliance.
The overwhelming support for this resolution raises serious concerns about the lack of discernment—if not the complicity—of most MEPs when dealing with Islamists whose past and present are tainted by violence and religious radicalism.
The European Parliament presents the fall of Bashar al-Assad as a “new chapter for Syria” and considers the interim government to be committed to a “pluralistic and inclusive transition.” However, in reality, the interim government, in place since December 2024, is dominated by Islamist factions that have implemented a radical agenda in the areas they control. HTS, despite its rebranding and portrayal as a “moderate” organization, has been responsible for terror attacks, summary executions, and persecution in the territories it controls. The most recent massacre took place last weekend. Regional Christian sources report 7,000 killed, while Western organizations reduce the estimate to 2,000.
Despite this, the European Parliament’s resolution avoids directly mentioning HTS or condemning its actions. Instead, it expresses concern over “the unstable security situation” and calls on “all parties to respect human rights.”
This silence is not accidental. The dominant narrative in Brussels seems obsessed with presenting the “Syrian transition” as a positive development, even if that means ignoring blatant crimes. This attitude severely damages, if not entirely erases, the EU’s credibility as a defender of human rights and exposes vulnerable minorities to further repression.
The Parliament’s decision to lift sanctions and uncritically open dialogue channels with the interim government could have disastrous consequences. Appeasing Islamist regimes does not lead to stability but rather strengthens their control and radicalizes their positions. Furthermore, by legitimizing HTS, the EU risks sending a message of weakness to other extremist groups in the region.
This is not the first time such an event has occurred. In the past decades, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and now Syria have fallen into chaos.
The EP’s resolution on Syria represents a betrayal of the values the EU claims to uphold. By failing to condemn the atrocities committed by HTS and its allies explicitly and by presenting this regime as a valid partner, the EU is abandoning its moral and political responsibility. While Brussels continues to preach about human rights and democracy, in practice, it is backing a government born from violence and extremism.
