Parliamentary question

Written question to the Vice-President of the Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

In light of the European Parliament’s consent in 2017 to the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement with the Republic of Cuba, we ask:

1. What progress exactly has been made in the Republic of Cuba on civil liberties, political rights and human rights as a result of the agreement signed between the European Union and Cuba on 12 December 2016?

2. Which civil society organisations or representatives have met with the EU Delegation in Havana since 2019, and what financial support or advice have they been provided with?

3. What steps has our Delegation in Havana taken in light of the arbitrary arrests and harassment suffered by Sakharov Prize laureates, Cuban citizens or members of the San Isidro Movement and 27N acting in support of civil and political freedoms, in order to ensure that they be released and their rights be respected?

Answer given by High Representative and Vice-President Borrell on behalf of the European Commission

The objectives of EU engagement with Cuba under the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement are to encourage political and economic reforms, promote democracy and human rights, and improve the lives of the Cuban people. All instruments available to the EU — political dialogue, but also cooperation — are used to this end. This said, as anywhere in the world, it would be difficult to attribute any specific development in Cuba directly to a specific EU action.

Both the EU Delegation and EU services in headquarters have had a multitude of meetings with all sectors of Cuban (and also European) civil society. This includes meetings with Sakharov prize winners and other dissident groups, human rights defenders, and independent journalists and artists. Over twenty such meetings have taken place in preparation for the last (26 February 2021) Human Rights Dialogue alone.

The EU expects Cuba to respect its citizens’ fundamental freedoms and human dignity, and is regularly raising cases of concern, such as the ones mentioned by the Honourable Members, with the Cuban authorities, both within the context of the dedicated Dialogue on Human Rights established under the Agreement, and in other ways.