A group of Members of the European Parliament, including the Spanish Hermann Tertsch, demanded on July 11 that the European Union (EU) immediately end the cooperation agreement with the Cuban regime, denouncing that European funds are financing the repression against the people of the island and benefiting military and repressive structures such as the Business Administration Group of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (GAESA).
In a letter addressed to the Vice President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, and signed by more than 25 lawmakers from various nationalities, the MEPs urge the activation of the human rights clause of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA), to suspend all financial transfers to Cuba, audit the funds sent, and impose sanctions on Cuban officials and companies linked to the communist elite.
The letter, published on the same day that marks the fourth anniversary of the social outbreak of 11J, describes the current cooperation between the EU and Havana as "criminal."
“The current policy is not only ineffective, it has become morally indefensible”, affirm the signatories, who point out that the island is undergoing a “systemic collapse” while hundreds of political prisoners endure torture, constant surveillance, and repression.
The MEPs condemn that, while thousands of Cubans risk their lives at sea or in the jungles to escape hunger and persecution, Brussels continues to treat the regime of Díaz-Canel as a legitimate partner.
The letter recalls that the agreement was signed in 2016 with the hope of promoting democratic reforms on the island, but they assert that the regime "responded with repression" and deepened its alliance with authoritarian powers such as Russia, China, Iran, and Belarus.
“Cuba is not a fragile democracy in need of support. It is an authoritarian regime that survives through coercion and propaganda”, they warn. They also accuse Havana of providing military and political support for the aggressive war of Russia against Ukraine, and mention reports of thousands of Cuban mercenaries fighting on the Russian side.
The document calls on the EU to stop turning a blind eye to human rights violations in Cuba and to “unequivocally stand with the Cuban people”, instead of continuing to endorse a regime that “blocks civil society, controls the media, punishes the families of political prisoners, and restricts access to the Internet”.
The letter was signed by MEPs from various countries, including Poland, Italy, Spain, Lithuania, and Sweden, and adds to the numerous statements from the European Parliament that, in recent years, has passed resolutions against repression in Cuba.
The MEP Hermann Tertsch, who shared the document on social media, dedicated his signature “to the heroes of the resistance against the communist dictatorship in Cuba and to the victims of repression” following the uprising on July 11, 2021.
The pressure on the EU to break away from the Cuban regime is not new. Just two months earlier, on May 6, Kaja Kallas defended the relevance of the PDCA in the European Parliament, claiming that it does not fund the Cuban government, but rather projects with UN agencies and NGOs focused on ecological transition and the private sector.
“Will suspending the agreement free Daniel Ferrer and Félix Navarro? I think we all know the answer,” said the diplomat, referring to the imprisoned opposition members. She also argued that without that formal framework, it would be even more challenging to address sensitive issues such as political prisoners and human rights with Havana.
Kallas's stance reflects a commitment to dialogue, although she herself acknowledged that the agreement "has not yet produced the kind of change we desire."
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