Brussels, 19 December 2024 (dpa/MIA) - EU leaders meet on Thursday for the first time since the ousting of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, with the bloc facing decisions about how to deal with the country's new leadership.

The European Union's far-reaching economic sanctions on Syria could be reconsidered if the country's new leadership makes progress towards an inclusive and democratic power transition, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said ahead of the meeting.

The Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is largely responsible for al-Assad's overthrow, is designated as a terrorist organization by the United Nations and is also subject to EU sanctions.

EU leaders also hope that Syria under its new leadership could once again be labelled as a safe country, which would mean EU countries could refuse Syrians asylum and begin deportations.

The German government and other European governments have already suspended the processing of pending and new asylum applications by Syrians.

Over 1 million Syrians have been granted international protection in the EU, with several hundred thousand living in Germany alone.

EU leaders are also set to discuss the bloc's future relations with the United States ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House.

Other topics on the agenda are the latest developments in the Middle East conflict and in Georgia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to attend the start of the meeting to brief EU leaders about his country's most urgent needs on the battlefield.

The summit is to be chaired for the first time by new European Council President António Costa, who took office on December 1.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is to also represent France at the meeting, as French President Emmanuel Macron is to travel to the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte which has been devastated by Cyclone Chido.

Photo: MIA archive