French chargé d’affaires in Syria Jean-Baptiste Faivre announced a change in his country’s policy on supporting economic activity in Damascus, saying the country has been added to the list of states classified as “open under conditions” in France’s 2026 export finance policy.
In a post on X on Monday, March 30, Faivre said the French Treasury’s Directorate General had published the new classification, moving Syria from the list of “closed” countries to a category that allows limited engagement by French companies.
Limited funding under strict conditions
According to the official document shared by Faivre, Syria was placed in Category 7, the highest risk level, meaning the opening remains subject to strict conditions.
The classification allows:
The policy does not include:
Cautious engagement in reconstruction
The new classification suggests France is moving toward limited involvement in Syria’s reconstruction efforts, without offering direct or large-scale financing, and instead limiting support to studies and initial projects.
The requirement for international co-financing reflects Paris’s desire to share risk with international institutions rather than bear it alone.
Despite this adjustment, the broader European position still links any wider economic opening to progress in the political process under United Nations auspices.
The new classification therefore appears to be a limited technical and economic step, rather than a major political shift in France’s position on Syria.
Syrian-French tourism cooperation
On December 16, 2025, Syria’s Ministry of Tourism discussed ways to strengthen tourism cooperation between Syria and France during a meeting in Damascus between Tourism Minister Mazen al-Salhani and French chargé d’affaires Jean-Baptiste Faivre at the ministry’s headquarters.
At the time, the ministry’s director of public relations and media, Youssef Batter, told Enab Baladi that both sides stressed the need to activate channels of joint cooperation in the coming period, particularly in tourism, tourism investment, tourism training and capacity building, as well as cultural cooperation.
According to Batter, Minister al-Salhani shared the ministry’s plans and priorities for the next phase, outlining available opportunities to develop the tourism sector and highlighting major destinations and projects expected in the coming period, in a way that would diversify Syria’s tourism offerings and enhance the country’s appeal as an emerging tourist destination.
Al-Salhani also reviewed key destinations currently under preparation, with a focus on cultural routes, castles, and historical sites, stressing the importance of cooperation with partner countries to transfer expertise in training and development.
Batter added that the meeting also addressed the importance of benefiting from French expertise in hospitality and tourism education, as well as cooperation in developing academic curricula, administrative systems, and equipment, in addition to reviving cultural and museum cooperation and drawing on the French experience as one of the world’s leading countries in attracting tourists.
Faivre said during the meeting that the French embassy had entered a new phase of active, multi-sector engagement in Syria, covering political, economic, humanitarian, and development issues, in addition to tourism.
The French chargé d’affaires also spoke of plans to organize a forum bringing together more than 40 French companies interested in the Syrian market.
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