The European Union has called for a comprehensive, Syrian-led transitional justice process and welcomed the establishment of two national commissions on transitional justice and missing persons in Syria, in a statement delivered on 21 July 2026 at a UN Security Council Arria-formula meeting. EU Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis, speaking on behalf of the EU and its 27 member states, stressed that transitional justice is a prerequisite for national reconciliation and sustainable peace, and expressed appreciation for the Syrian transitional government's efforts, particularly the creation of the two commissions, which the EU supports financially.
Lambrinidis noted that the first trials are already being held in Syria, calling it a big step, and urged that all perpetrators be held accountable with justice delivered to victims and survivors. He emphasised that transitional justice measures must be gender-responsive, victim-centred, and involve civil society, with guarantees on non-recurrence of violations and transparent communication to the public. The EU encouraged coordination between national mechanisms and international ones, such as the Independent Institution on Missing Persons, the Commission of Inquiry, and the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism, and urged the Syrian authorities to deepen cooperation with all UN mechanisms and implement the Commission of Inquiry's recommendations.
The statement expressed concern over reports of intercommunal violence and human rights violations in several governorates during the transitional period, which accountability mechanisms should address. The EU encouraged the Syrian transitional authorities to expedite work on a draft transitional justice law, ensuring meaningful participation of survivors, women, and civil society, and to give explicit attention to victims of conflict-related sexual violence. Lambrinidis also commended the formation of the Syrian People's Assembly, hoping it would play an important role in advancing transitional justice.
Recalling the first-ever Day of Dialogue in Syria organised by the EU in November 2025, which brought together over 300 representatives, the EU announced plans to convene a second Day of Dialogue later in 2026. The EU also called on other UN member states to contribute to humanitarian and early-recovery funding, warning that such funding must not lag behind political commitments.
The statement was endorsed by candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Ukraine, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, as well as EFTA countries Iceland and Norway, and Armenia, Andorra, and San Marino.