Cuba: Political and sectoral dialogues held under the EU-Cuba political dialogue and cooperation agreement

Over the past week, the EU and Cuba have held a series of meetings under their Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA).

The PDCA was signed in 2016 and has been applied provisionally since 1 November 2017. It enshrines the EU policy approach of critical but constructive engagement towards Cuba, under which the EU engages constructively with Cuba on a wide range of issues but also clearly and consistently raises issues of concern wherever relevant.

The PDCA provides for regular political dialogues on a range of specific issues agreed between the two sides during its negotiation, including human rights, and also allows for sectoral dialogues to be held in other areas. The fourth cycle of dialogues held under the PDCA began with the Human Rights Dialogue which took place on 24 November 2023 in Havana.

The latest round of meetings, held between 18 and 25 April, comprised two political dialogues (on unilateral coercive measures and on sustainable development), three sectoral dialogues (on agriculture, on environment and climate change, and on energy), as well as the EU-Cuba sub-committee on cooperation.

The Political Dialogue on unilateral coercive measures, which addresses the US embargo on Cuba including its extraterritorial effects, was held at the EEAS premises in Brussels on Wednesday 24 April.

The parties discussed the impact of the US measures on Cuba, on the operations of European companies and on EU citizens. The EU side recalled the unanimous support of EU member states for the annual resolution against the embargo in the UN General Assembly, most recently in November 2023, and briefed on the operation of Regulation 2271/96, designed to mitigate the impact of extraterritorial measures. In addition, the EU side reiterated the importance of Cuba implementing reforms to modernise its economy and to create a favourable climate for trade and investment between the two sides. The EU side also underlined its continued readiness to support such reforms.

As was the case at the Human Rights Dialogue held in Havana in November, the two sides agreed on a number of follow-up actions:

1. Organise a technical exchange among experts from both parties, as part of the current implementation cycle of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement, on the extraterritorial effects of the "Helms-Burton" Act.
2. Continue jointly exploring possible mechanisms and frameworks that contribute to fostering a favorable environment to boost trade, investment and cooperation between Cuba and the European Union, promote exchanges and protect the legitimate interests of operators on both sides.
3. Maintain fluid exchanges, as necessary, in those multilateral forums in which issues related to this Dialogue are addressed.
4. Hold specific exchanges on innovative approaches and EU-Cuba cooperation actions that may contribute to economic diversification and updating as an element to promote Cuba's development.

The EU delegation was headed by Pelayo Castro, Deputy Managing Director for the Americas of the European External Action Service (EEAS). Rodolfo Benítez, Director General for Multilateral Affairs and International Law at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, led the Cuban delegation.

The Political Dialogue on Sustainable Development was also held in Brussels, on Thursday 25 April. The parties discussed inter alia sustainable development priorities, progress and challenges in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and possible relevant joint actions. Cuba is an influential and well-connected actor at the UN and it is in the EU's interest to engage on these issues.

Once again, the two sides agreed on a number of follow-up actions:

1. Promote exchanges between the parties with a view to facilitating the respective realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including through the implementation of Part lV of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) relating to trade and trade cooperation.

1. In this context, continue to explore jointly, with the possible participation of interested EU member states, options to promote the effective insertion of Cuba in the Global Gateway investment program.

1. Continue to jointly explore possibilities under EU thematic and regional projects and in cooperation projects promoted by Cuba, to foster joint actions in various areas of sustainable development.

1. Continue to foster exchanges and cooperation between the EU and Cuba in multilateral fora and in other mechanisms to be agreed by the two sides, on promoting development as well as the achievement of the 2030 Agenda agreed by the United Nations, its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development.

The EU delegation was headed by the EEAS acting Secretary-General for Economic and Global Issues, Belén Martínez Carbonell. Director General Benítez from the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs again led the Cuban delegation.

The Sub-Committee on Cooperation took place on Tuesday 23 April in Brussels. It addressed the state of implementation of the PDCA and the Multiannual Indicative Programme 2021-27 for Cuba; and trade and investment priorities under the Global Gateway Initiative, emphasising the potential in the areas of renewable energy and biotechnology.

The EU delegation was headed by the Director for Latin America and the Caribbean in the European Commission's Directorate-General for International Partnerships, Felix Fernández Shaw. The Cuban delegation was headed by the Director General of International Cooperation of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment (Mincex), Alba Rosa Alarcón Fonseca.

As part of this sequence of meetings, sectoral dialogues were also held on environment and climate change (by video-conference on 18 April), on agriculture (by video-conference on 19 April) and on energy (in-person, in Brussels, on 22 April). The respective delegations were led by officials from the relevant Directorate(s)-General(s) of the European Commission, and from the relevant Cuban ministries.

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