This CSDN Country Briefing Paper draws on interviews with international and local NGOs conducted between March and June 2026, mapping how Syria’s civil society landscape has shifted since the fall of the Assad regime and where the EU fits into that picture.
Rivalries set aside during the fight against the previous regime have re-emerged along geographic and ideological lines. Organisations based in Idlib and the North-East retain an advantage in accessing donor funding, built on longer-standing relationships with international donors, while project implementation elsewhere often depends less on formal registration than on relationships with local powerholders operating outside any accountability structure. On the EU specifically, interviewees described a donor valued for its flexibility and consistency, widely seen as the international actor best placed to advocate for a rights-based approach to Syria’s transition. Several also raised concerns that the EU has been too quick to accept the new government’s positions at face value, rather than pressing more firmly for reform.
The paper closes with six recommendations for EU engagement, including a call for more direct engagement with grassroots organisations alongside established civil society partners.
