This policy study was authored by Dr. Ammar Kahf, Executive Director of the Omran Center for Strategic Studies, and Rabha Seif Allam, Head of the Terrorism and Extremism Study Program at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies (ACPSS).
It was originally published by EuroMeSCo (starting on page 45) and is reproduced here with due acknowledgement of the original source, available at:https://bit.ly/4AagPOb.Introduction
A central driver of renewed EU engagement with Syria is the objective of facilitating refugee return and reinforcing Mediterranean regional stability. Yet refugee return depends on security, basic socioeconomic conditions, and credible institutional guarantees. This chapter argues that Syria’s reintegration into Euro-Mediterranean frameworks depends not only on institutional stabilisation, but also on building socially legitimate and accountable security structures capable of sustaining civil peace. The chapter combines qualitative policy analysis with desk research, public statements by Syrian authorities, and six semistructured interviews with Syrian experts, officials, and civil society actors. It draws on comparative insights from European Union (EU) engagement in Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans to identify realistic entry points for Syria-EU cooperation.
9 Sep 2026
