EU ministers on Monday agreed to renew sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which includes an arms embargo to all sides.
Britain had earlier demanded that the embargo be lifted, but the EU instead agreed only to allow 'non-lethal' aid and 'technical assistance' to flow to the opposition.
A statement from the EU said that if need be, ministers would assess and review the sanctions regime again after three months.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said:
"It's not about military support. It's about how to make sure to give the best possible support to the protection of civilians."
See here for AFP report.