The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024 and the end of the over 13-year Syrian civil war is said to have marked a pivotal moment for Syrians displaced in the European Union (EU), with many hoping to return and rebuild their country of origin as a result. In 2025, and in response to the end of the Syrian civil war, the Swedish government tasked the Swedish Migration Agency with mapping the need for measures in preparation for a possible increase in returns to Syria. Syria, however, continues to find itself in a state of profound political uncertainty. It’s fragile transition phase has the potential to shape the country’s future, and therefore the return aspirations and motivations of displaced Syrians living in the EU.
This policy brief seeks to better understand the return motivations of Syrians in Sweden and the EU, emphasizing the need for evidence-based policies that account for the complexities of voluntarily returning to a country that remains in a state of political uncertainty and fragile transition phase. It asks the primary question: what are the current return aspirations and motivations of Syrians living in Sweden/the EU?
Drawing upon recent reports and studies from 2025–2026, it aims to provide a nuanced analysis of the voluntary return aspirations and motivations of Syrians across different European contexts , while building upon the research found in Delmi’s literature review The Role of European Countries in Voluntary Return Migration: A Systematic Review of the Evidence, by Voyer et. al. (Delmi 2025:9).
The policy brief is expected to be published in June 2026.
The author is Anna Hammarstedt, PhD in International Relations, and Research Coordinator at Delmi.
Photo: Dorian Labbe via Unsplash.
