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Extraterritorial sanctions on trade and investments and European responses
Recent US measures directed against Iran, Cuba and Russia (North Stream 2) have become indirectly a critical challenge for the European Union as well. As they purport to deter economic actors under EU jurisdiction from engaging with target countries, they have an important extraterritorial dimension, which affects EU business and individuals and ultimately the sovereignty of the EU and its Member States. A review of the existing sanction regimes and of the geopolitical context reveals that other ...
Rule of law and human rights in Cuba and Venezuela and EU engagement
The European Parliament (EP) has consistently followed the situation in Cuba and Venezuela. It has expressed its support for defenders of human rights and democracy with the award of the Sakharov prize to Cuban activists on three occasions (2002, 2005, 2010), and to Venezuela’s Democratic Opposition in 2017. In line with this engagement, a workshop on human rights and rule of law in both countries was held on 6 September 2018, in Brussels, at the request of the EP’s Subcommittee on Human Rights ( ...
EU trade with Latin America and the Caribbean: Overview and figures
This publication provides an overview of trade relations between the EU and Latin American and Caribbean countries and groupings. The EU has fully fledged agreements with two Latin American groupings (Cariforum and the Central America group), a multiparty trade agreement with three members of the Andean Community (Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru), and bilateral agreements with Chile and Mexico. Since November 2017, a new agreement governing trade relations with Cuba has also been provisionally applied ...
Policy Departments’ Monthly Highlights - September 2017
The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.
EU-Cuba relations: a new chapter begins
The Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) between the EU and Cuba, endorsed by the European Parliament (EP) on 5 July 2017, opens a new phase in EU-Cuba relations. Until now Cuba was the only country in Latin America without a cooperation or political dialogue agreement with the EU. The PDCA creates a framework for political dialogue and closer bilateral cooperation, including in trade. The parts of the agreement (mostly related to cooperation and trade issues) that fall within EU competence ...
Acuerdo Unión Europea-Cuba
Hasta hace poco, Cuba era el único país de América Latina que no tenía ningún acuerdo bilateral con la Unión Europea. Desde 1996, las relaciones de la Unión con Cuba se regían por una Posición Común de la UE, lo que hacía que la cooperación y la celebración de cualquier acuerdo bilateral estuviesen supeditadas a la realización de progresos visibles en términos de democracia y respeto de los derechos humanos. El Acuerdo de Diálogo Político y de Cooperación UE-Cuba, firmado en 2016, constituye un primer ...
International Agreements in Progress: EU-Cuba Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement
Cuba is the only Latin American country to have no bilateral agreement with the EU. Between 1996 and December 2016, relations between the EU and Cuba were governed by the 1996 Common Position, which subordinated cooperation and the conclusion of any bilateral agreement to the achievement of visible progress in the field of democracy and human rights on the island. Nevertheless, political dialogue and cooperation were re-launched in 2008, following a leadership change in the country, and in February ...
Cuba, the USA and the EU: Forging Closer Ties, Looking to the Future
On 1 July 2015, Cuba and the United States of America (USA) re-established formal diplomatic links, the culmination so far of the ground-breaking changes that have taken place in relations between the two countries since December 2014. At the same time, relations between Cuba and the EU are enjoying unprecedented momentum. The change in Cuba-US relations and the strengthening of the EU's links with Cuba represent two processes that are different in nature and scope. Despite the changes in US-Cuba ...
Cuba: Political situation
Although Raúl Castro has introduced some (mainly economic) reforms, the Communist Party remains in control and the political system seems unlikely to change substantially until he retires in 2018. However, the latest developments may facilitate a gradual transformation in the longer term.
The Summit of the Americas
The Summit of the Americas is a unique forum that enables all heads of state from the continent to meet and discuss issues covering their hemisphere. Cuba's first ever attendance, at the forum's Seventh Summit, held in Panama in April 2015, marked a turning point in the process.