Brussels, 02/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - In Havana on Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 March, European and Cuban negotiators will resume their discussions on a cooperation and association agreement.
At their meeting, representatives of the European Commission, which is negotiating on behalf of the EU, hope that the Cuban authorities will be able to react to a proposed 'economic and commercial' plank submitted by the Europeans in the autumn. “We are expecting to get their reaction”, a European source told us. This source went on to stress that at this stage, there is no proposal to move towards a trade preferential agreement, which Cuba has not in any case asked for.
The negotiations, which have been at a standstill since August 2014, will focus on the three planks (political dialogue, cooperation, economy and trade) of the future association agreement, including the sensitive issue of human rights (see EUROPE 11221). The Europeans are ready to negotiate but are in no hurry, stating that they are prepared to allow the Cuban authorities to take all time they need. In the event of substantial progress, they are not ruling out an official visit to Cuba by the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, who met Bruno Rodriguez, the Cuban foreign minister, on the sidelines of the CELAC summit in late January (see EUROPE 11242). (Mathieu Bion)