The former Spanish MEP Soraya Rodríguez acknowledged this Thursday, in an interview with Tania Costa, that Spain "might not be living up to" the historical and human ties that connect it to Cuba. She made this statement during a conversation where she discussed the role of Madrid and the European Union in the face of the crisis on the island.
The statement came after Costa openly expressed the discontent of the Cuban community: "We are very hurt by Spain because we clearly see that it has not exercised the leadership we expected; it has already met a couple of times with representatives of the regime."
Costa also noted that Spanish companies operated in Cuba by paying meager wages to Cuban workers. “They knew they were paying miserable salaries and they accepted it,” he stated, adding that these companies remained on the island until U.S. sanctions forced them to leave.
Rodríguez did not shy away from criticism. He acknowledged that Spanish companies—especially in the tourism sector—were fully aware of the conditions in which they operated, and he explained the rationale behind the U.S. sanctions.
"I believe that Spanish companies also know perfectly well that any space they leave is a space that will be filled by American companies. All the sanctions from the United States are designed to make European companies, including Spanish ones, exit and leave room for American businesses."
The Cuban state retained up to 90% of the salary paid in foreign currency to workers in the tourism sector, granting them only the equivalent in pesos. The large chains Meliá and Iberostar operated for years in hotels managed through GAESA, the military conglomerate that controls nearly half of the Cuban economy, with a combined investment of 465 million euros.
The exit was accelerated after Executive Order 14404 by Donald Trump, signed on May 1, 2026, which imposed secondary sanctions on those who operated with GAESA. Iberostar left 12 hotels on June 1, and Meliá announced the cessation at 15 establishments on June 3. According to data published by El País, Spanish investment in Cuba fell to only 442,230 euros in 2024 and to zero in 2025.
Beyond the business chapter, Rodríguez invoked the special connection that distinguishes Spain from the rest of Europe. “We began this conversation talking about the Grandchildren's Law. We have ties that go beyond, that are different from the European ones, and yes, perhaps we are not measuring up.”
That special responsibility, in his opinion, should translate into a political leadership that has so far been conspicuously absent. The government of Pedro Sánchez held at least three rounds of high-level meetings with representatives of the regime between September 2024 and June 2025, including meetings between Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares and Cuban Chancellor Bruno Rodríguez.
In this context, Rodríguez urged the EU to take a more active stance. "I believe that the European Union, in light of this situation, should not only not turn its back but should also play a leadership role."
The former MEP proposed a specific roadmap. "A dialogue among all Cuban forces without intervention. The true democracies that emerge from a process of transition are those created by the people themselves."
On her part, the host made the most painful comparison: "We are struck by how different everything would be if we had received, if we were receiving from Europe, the support that Ukraine is receiving or has received over all these years..."
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