The European Union on Monday extended sanctions against the Syrian government for another year because of the "ongoing repression of the civilian population". A meeting of the 28 EU foreign ministers in Brussels agreed to roll over sanctions against President Bashar al-Assad's regime until June 1, 2019 and also updated the bloc's list of individuals subject to travel bans and asset freezes. A total of 259 people and 67 organisations are now under sanction by the EU.