The Council for Democratic Transition argued that the Havana regime sells “an image and narrative of modernization, without assuming real commitments to political openness or the improvement of human rights.”
EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, 4 February 2025 — On Tuesday, the Council for the Democratic Transition in Cuba (CTDC), one of the main opposition groups in Cuba, urged the European Union (EU) to “temporarily suspend” its Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (ADPC) with Cuba.
The group argued in a statement that the Cuban Government “has instrumentalized this agreement to obtain economic benefits and sell an image and narrative of modernization, without assuming real commitments to political openness or to the improvement of human rights.”
Therefore, the CTDC – which already made a similar request last September – urged the EU to “re-evaluate and temporarily suspend the ADPC until there is “concrete progress in the field of human rights and democracy” on the Island (…) and compliance with “democratic and economic” standards.
“Only with a clear and coordinated response from western democracies will it be possible to achieve respect for human rights and a peaceful change to democracy in Cuba”
It also asked the organization to “guarantee the participation of Cuban civil society in the negotiations and dialogues on the possible revision of the agreement” and to support the CTDC’s proposal for a law of amnesty and decriminalization of dissent in the country.
“Only with a clear and coordinated response from western democracies will it be possible to achieve respect for human rights and a peaceful change to democracy in Cuba,” the group argued in its statement.
The organization indicated that one of the main reasons for its request is the deterioration of human rights in Cuba, and it denounced the “systematic persecution and repression” of opponents, the “flagrant violation” of constitutional rights, the escalation of arbitrary detentions and a lack of collaboration with international organizations.
Secondly, it alleged the “failure” of Cuba’s economic model, with the “monopoly” exercised by Gaesa, “a military conglomerate that controls the country’s resources, represses the private sector” and does not pay its foreign debt.
Finally, it highlighted Cuba’s “opaque strategic alliances” with Russia, Belarus, North Korea, China and Iran, and its “logistic and military” support to countries such as Nicaragua and Venezuela, “factors in regional destabilization.
It highlighted Cuba’s “opaque strategic alliances” with Russia, Belarus, North Korea, China and Iran, and its “logistical and military” support to countries such as Nicaragua and Venezuela
The agreement that currently governs bilateral relations between Cuba and the EU was signed in 2016 and includes a clause of respect for human rights, whose violation allows it to be suspended.
The ADPC, not exempt from controversy within the EU (it has not been ratified by Lithuania and is criticized by conservative political parties), replaced the so-called “common position” of the EU towards Cuba, which the bloc had maintained since 1996, and which linked any progress in the bilateral relationship to progress in democratization and human rights on the Island.
The agreement promotes cooperation in favor of sustainable development, democracy and human rights, as well as the possibility of finding shared solutions to global challenges through joint actions in multilateral forums.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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