New upswing in Aleppo: Entrepreneurs expect progress despite obstacles!

New upswing in Aleppo: Entrepreneurs expect progress despite obstacles!

Aleppo, Syrien - On March 17, 2025, the Syrian government under Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa made a significant announcement: the introduction of a free market economy. This decision comes after over five decades of mismanagement and corruption that the country shaped under the rule of Bashar al-Assad. Entrepreneurs such as Mahmoud Anis, who heads a textile company in Aleppo, are optimistic about this turn, but continue to fight with unreliable energy supply and high fuel costs. Anis reports of an extremely high burden of electricity prices, which are disproportionate compared to other Arab countries at 24 cents per kWh, while similar households in Egypt only have to pay 5 cents per kWh.

Hope for economic relaxation also depends on the international framework. The EU and the United States have partially lifted some sanctions against Syria, which nevertheless have a strong impact on the country's reconstruction and recovery efforts. On February 24, the EU Foreign Minister in Brussels decided to partially suspend sanctions in areas such as energy and traffic. This is crucial because these sectors are essential for the reconstruction of Syria. The Syrian Central Bank as well as several commercial banks and Syrian Arab Airlines were taken from the sanction list, which facilitates companies in Syria to promote their business activities, even if the sanctions can be resumed at any time.

global challenges and sanctions

A central problem, however, remains uncertainty in the security situation. Entrepreneurs in Aleppo emphasize the need for stable conditions to boost investments and production. The Syrian Central Bank consultant, Mokhles al-Nazar, has emphasized the importance of electricity subsidies for companies. Unfortunately, it also looks bleak about the personnel situation, since many well -trained specialists have fled abroad. In the past few months, tens of thousands of Syrians have returned from abroad, but qualified returnees are hesitating because they want to wait for further development of the situation.

The current economic difficulties should not be underestimated. According to estimates, the Syrian economy takes over 50 years to reach the level before the civil war. This view is shared by the UN, which also found that Syria will need between 250 and 1 trillion US dollar for its reconstruction. The geopolitical interests of the relevant actors are often incompatible, which makes the long -term plans to stabilize the country more difficult.

complex political circumstances

The current developments are also in the context of international conflicts and the continuing presence of military units, including French special forces in the fight against IS. Kurdish armed forces and other rebel formations, such as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, are excluded from the negotiations that would be necessary for a possible political solution. In addition, there have been numerous reports on human rights violations and neglect of humanitarian aid by the Syrian government in the past.

With the adoption of Resolution 2254 by the UN Security Council, a clear political process for solving the Syrian conflict is required. In the meantime, the appeal to the international community remains urgent to contribute to the reconstruction of Syria and to support the humanitarian needs of the Syrian population.