20 March 2025
II. MIDDLE EAST
4. Recalling its previous conclusions, the European Council addressed the situation and latest developments in the Middle East.
5. The European Council deplores the breakdown of the ceasefire in Gaza, which has caused a large number of civilian casualties in recent air strikes. It deplores the refusal of Hamas to hand over the remaining hostages. The European Council calls for an immediate return to the full implementation of the ceasefire-hostage release agreement. It stresses the need for progress towards its second phase, with a view to its full implementation leading to the release of all hostages and a permanent end to hostilities. The European Council recalls the importance of unimpeded access and sustained distribution of humanitarian assistance at scale into and throughout Gaza. This access and distribution, as well as the supply of electricity to Gaza, including for the water desalination plants, must be resumed immediately.
6. The European Council welcomes the Arab Recovery and Reconstruction Plan endorsed at the Cairo Summit on 4 March 2025. The European Union stands ready to engage with its Arab partners, as well as with other international partners, on that basis.
7. The European Union remains firmly committed to a lasting and sustainable peace based on the two-state solution. The European Union is ready to contribute to all efforts towards this solution and calls on all parties to refrain from actions that undermine its viability. It will continue to work with regional and international partners to that end. The European Union will continue supporting the Palestinian Authority and its reform agenda.
8. The European Council strongly condemns the recent widespread violence against civilians in Syria’s coastal region and urges the transitional authorities to ensure the protection of all civilians and that perpetrators of violence are held accountable in accordance with international norms and standards. The European Council notes that comprehensive transitional justice in particular is essential on the path to reconciliation.
9. The European Council underlines the importance of a peaceful and inclusive transition in Syria, free from harmful foreign interference, and the protection of the rights of Syrians from all ethnic and religious backgrounds without discrimination. Syria’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within secure borders should be fully respected, in accordance with international law. It welcomes the agreement reached on 10 March 2025 between the transitional authorities and the Syrian Democratic Forces. The European Council recalls the EU’s recent suspension of restrictive measures as part of a gradual, reversible approach. The European Union will continue to examine possible further suspensions of restrictive measures on the basis of close monitoring of the situation in Syria. The European Council welcomes the outcome of the ninth Syria Conference ‘Standing with Syria: meeting the needs for a successful transition’ of 17 March 2025.
10. The European Council welcomes the end of the political impasse in Lebanon and expresses the European Union’s readiness to work with the new authorities to stabilise the economic and security situation in the country. The European Council reiterates its call on the parties to implement the terms of the 27 November 2024 ceasefire agreement and for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
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VII. OCEANS
27. In the light of current global and geopolitical challenges, the European Council stresses the strategic importance of the oceans, water resilience and the blue economy in strengthening the EU’s competitiveness and resilience, maritime security, and environmental sustainability and protection, in the context of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.
28. The European Council welcomes the Commission’s intention to put forward an ambitious, holistic and forward-looking European Ocean Pact, in line with the respective EU and Member State competences, that will foster healthy oceans and seas, energy security, maritime security, food security, sustainable fisheries and a sustainable and competitive EU blue economy, with special emphasis on coastal and island communities, and contribute to global science-based knowledge and responsible governance of the oceans.
29. In addition, the European Council took stock of preparations for the UN Ocean Conference, to be held in Nice from 9 to 13 June 2025, and called for increased global action and ambition, including accelerated ratification of the Agreement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), to advance ocean protection and governance at international level.
VIII. MULTILATERALISM
30. The European Union has always upheld and will continue to uphold the UN Charter and the rules and principles it enshrines, in particular those of sovereignty and territorial integrity, political independence and self-determination. The European Council reaffirms the Union’s steadfast commitment to effective multilateralism and to the rules-based international order with the United Nations at its core.
31. The European Union will remain a predictable, reliable, and credible partner and welcomes the opportunity to work together in a changing environment with all its partners, as well as with the United Nations and its agencies in driving forward the internal reform process – the UN80 initiative – to ensure that the United Nations remains effective, cost-efficient and responsive.
32. The European Union is committed to the Pact for the Future, which is a crucial step towards revitalising the United Nations, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and reforming the international financial architecture. The European Union stands ready to cooperate with all stakeholders to ensure its effective implementation.
33. The European Council looks forward to the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, to be held in Seville from 30 June to 3 July 2025, which will be an important step towards putting in place a renewed global financing framework for sustainable development. It calls on relevant EU institutions to work towards an ambitious outcome, together with Member States.
Source – European Council