EU and Cuba to Normalize Relations

The European Commission has adopted a proposal to the Council of the European Union on the signing of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement, or PDCA, with Cuba in order to normalize relations between the bloc and the Caribbean island. 

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EU Foreign Affairs Chief Federica Mogherini has sent a proposal to the council to formally repeal the so-called “Common Position on Cuba,” a resolution adopted by the EU members in 1996.

"The objective of the European Union in its relations with Cuba is to encourage a process of transition to a pluralist democracy and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as sustainable recovery and improvement in the living standards of the Cuban people," the rule says. 

Cuba has strongly rejected this position calling it an “interference in its internal affairs,” but since the mid 2000s both parties showed willing to maintain a constructive dialogue.

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The PDCA started with talks in Havana in 2014 but now the European Council, composed of 28 heads of state or government, will review the agreement before the official signing, which is expected to happen in the coming months.

The bill will be submitted also to the European Parliament and the Cuban National Assembly for its ratification. The EU is Cuba's second most important trading partner and one-third of all tourists visiting the island every year come from the EU.