Sweden raised his voice again against the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (ADPC) of the European Union (EU) and announced its willingness to advocate for its review within the framework of the EU Council and its foreign policy.
This was made known by the Minister of Development and Foreign Trade, Johan Forssell, who criticized the EU's policy of “constructive engagement” with the Cuban regime as ineffective.
“The ADPC has been applied provisionally for just over five years. The situation in Cuba is extremely worrying. The reports of torture in Cuban prisons are alarming,” said the minister during a parliamentary control session to the Swedish executive.
Responding to the question posed by the social democratic deputy Björn Söder Regarding the EU agreement with the Cuban regime and its financing, Minister Forssell stated that “the situation in Cuba over the last five years has not improved, despite the efforts of both Sweden and the EU to promote democracy and human rights in the country.”
“On the other hand, the situation has worsened in some parts,” he highlighted. Beyond the diagnosis, the Swedish head of Development and Trade presented Sweden's action guidelines in relation to this matter, indicating that "Sweden remains clear (...) that the current policy of engagement with Cuba is not having the desired effect."
However, Forssell explained that For this policy and its main tool (the ADPC) to be reviewed by the EU, “the support of several Member States is required”.
The Swedish government's statement was made in mid-November, shortly before the visit of the EU Representative for Human Rights (HR), Eamon Gilmore, to the Cuban capital, to participate in the IV Human Rights Dialogue between Cuba and the European Union.
According to Forssell, his visit would constitute “an opportunity for the EU to clearly transmit to Cuba our opinion on the country's evolution.”
Gilmore's visit was intended to “analyze the situation created before, during and after the demonstrations and arrests” of 11J, as the High Representative said in May, Joseph Borrell, during his visit to Havana.
But after three days in the Cuban capital, Gilmore barely made time in his schedule to meet with the relatives of four political prisoners, and declare that in the other meetings with officials and followers of the so-called “revolution” there had been “discussed all topics”, giving political support to the totalitarian regime, disguised as a dialogue speaker.
Inside of civil society independent Cuban, the feeling is that, with his trip and his statements, Gilmore once again relegated the expectations of Cuban activists, opponents and independent journalists in the network of relations that the EU intends to build with the Cuban regime through the ACDP.
In mid-July, The Swedish government was favorable to the revision of the ADPC due to the continued violations of human rights in the country.
“There are reasons that speak in favor of a review of the engagement policy and the ADPC agreement, including EU aid to Cuba. Such a review should focus on how the EU can better pressure the Cuban government to promote democratic development. Regarding support for the democratic opposition, we do not rule out closer cooperation with the United States,” he replied in the swedish parliament Tobias Billström, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden.
To questions from the opposition, Billström explained that “previously, the EU had a policy more in line with the United States' policy of isolation towards Cuba and in 2003 it introduced political sanctions against Cuba, which meant that all official contacts with the government ended. ”.
“The measures were subsequently lifted in 2008, when they were deemed ineffective and did not have the desired effect. Given this, the EU chose to focus on dialogue to seek to achieve change, to which was added the agreement between the EU and Cuba on political dialogue and cooperation. Unfortunately, it can be said that this agreement did not have the desired effect either, but the repression in Cuba has continued and in some parts has worsened,” he concluded.
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