Brussels lifts embargo on Syrian rebels’ oil

The European Union eased sanctions against Syrian rebel-controlled areas on April 22, approving trade in Syrian oil and related industries, imposed on Syrian leader Bashar al Assad’s regime in September 2011, in an effort to encourage him to negotiate with rebel forces. European Voice adds that

The partial rollback of the EU's extensive sanctions regime, which came at the suggestion of Germany, is the first relaxation of the EU's sanctions. It is not, however, expected in the short term to boost significantly the economy in rebel-controlled areas.

Before the conflict began in March 2011, the EU had purchased almost all of Syria’s oil, worth around $3bn (€2.3bn) in 2010.