Miami, United States. – The Sweden government reiterated on Wednesday its position that the European Union (EU) reviews the Agreement for Political and Cooperation Dialogue (ADPC) with Cuba, considering that the current approach policy is not producing the expected results in the matter of Freedoms and human rights.
The Swedish Minister for International Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Benjamin Dousa, confirmed this January 29, in An official response to Parliamentthat the Scandinavian country continues to bet on a renegotiation of the terms in force and to cut any EU aid that can strengthen state structures on the island.
The insistence of the Swedish government is due, in part, to the management of Cuban civil society organizations as the resistance assembly.
In exclusive statements to Cubanetthe leader of the Cuban Resistance Assembly (ARC), Orlando Gutiérrez-Boronathe considered that the position of Sweden could be decisive to achieve a real impact within the island. “The announcement made today by the Sweden government that, together with other countries, will ask the high commissioned of international relations of the Union European the cessation of financing to the Castro dictatorship is phenomenal, it is great news for the people of Cuba, ”said Gutiérrez-Boronat, who praised the“ moral firmness ”of the Swedish authorities.
The opposition leader said that initiatives of this type “can make a difference for the people of Cuba to achieve their freedom.”
In his Response to questioning about ADPCDousa said that, since its arrival at the position, the Swedish position has remained unchanged. “The EU policy of commitment to Cuba is not giving the desired results,” he said in the document. In addition, he stressed that Sweden has advocated that funds are not allocated to “state actors or linked to the Cuban State.”
Since the entry into force of the ADPC in 2017, the EU has allocated resources to different projects on the island. While the agreement was conceived as a way to “promote political dialogue and reinforce cooperation” with the Government of Havana, voices Criticism ensures that this framework has been used by the regime to present itself to the international community as a reliable interlocutor, while human rights violations in the country are perpetuated. For Sweden, these dynamics represent a serious problem that merits the immediate review of EU’s policy towards Cuba.
Dousa’s letter makes it clear that Stockholm is not alone in this call to reconsideration of the agreement, although they do not detail what are the member countries that specifically support the Swedish position. However, the minister recognizes that “there are a number of countries” with positions close to that of Sweden. For its part, the dialogue with the European Commission and the new high representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, is key to promoting any specific change.
Various Cuban civil society organizations have denounced the lack of will of the island’s authorities to establish a real political dialogue that contemplates democratic reforms. The EU maintains its policy of “commitment and dialogue” with Havana, despite arbitrary arrests, censorship to the independent press and persistent repression against activists.
Also this Wednesday, the Cuban opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer, recently released under probation, He criticized on Facebook The role of the EU. “The EU in Cuba has not shown the slightest interest in making a call to ask ourselves how we survived in those modern concentration fields that are the Cuban prisons,” he lamented.
The opponent stressed that, despite the absence of European solidarity towards Cuban Democrats, it is preferable to “be on the right side without solidarity, to be on the wrong side with much support.” Even so, he thanked “the Eurodiputados who have been very supportive.”
