COMMON ANALYSIS | Last update: December 2025
For general guidance on the country guidance approach to this section, see 'EUAA, Article 15(c) QD/QR: indiscriminate violence in situations of armed conflict in Country Guidance: Explained, February 2025'.
In armed conflicts, the targeting of civilians may have nexus to one of the reasons for persecution according to the refugee definition. Therefore, refugee status may be granted. Such targeted violence, furthermore, would not be considered ‘indiscriminate’.
Reference period: The following assessment is primarily based on the ‘EUAA, COI Report – Syria: Country Focus, March 2025’, with the reference period November 2024 – February 2025, the ‘EUAA, COI Report - Syria: Country Focus, July 2025’, with the reference period March to May 2025, and the ‘EUAA, Country of Origin Information Query, Syria: Major human rights, security, and socio-economic developments, October 2025’, with the reference period from June to September 2025. Background information regarding the conflict in Syria is also taken into account.
This guidance should be considered valid as long as current events and developments fall within the trends and patterns of violence observed within the reference period of the mentioned COI report. New events and developments that cause substantial changes, new trends or geographical shifts in the violence, may lead to a different assessment. The security situation in a given territory should always be assessed in light of the most up-to-date COI available.
All of the elements under Article 15(c) QD/QR (Figure 2) have to be fulfilled in order to grant subsidiary protection in accordance with this provision.
Figure 2. Article 15(c) QD/QR: Elements of the legal assessment.
