The European Parliament criticised the lack of a ‘tangible result’ on human rights in Cuba, despite the establishment of an EU/Cuba dialogue on this issue, by adopting on Thursday 15 November a draft resolution prepared by the EPP, ECR and ALDE groups (325 votes in favour, 240 against, 44 abstentions).
The passage of the resolution stating that ‘no tangible human rights results have been achieved in Cuba, despite the establishment of the human rights dialogue and Cuba's re-election to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the period 2017-2019’, was adopted by a very narrow majority (289 votes in favour, 267 against, 43 abstentions).
The resolution also calls on the Cuban authorities to put an end to arbitrary detentions and persecution of political opponents, independent journalists and human rights defenders. It recalls that the EU/Cuba Association Agreement, signed in December 2016 and in force since October 2017 (see EUROPE 11823, 11687), contains a suspension clause in the event of human rights violations. The Commission is invited to follow this issue closely.
As is often the case, Parliament plenary debates on Cuba mainly involve MEPs from the Iberian Peninsula and highlight the left/right divide. On the right, a deterioration in the human rights situation is lamented, while on the left, there is an attempt to interfere, via the issue of human rights, in the internal affairs of a sovereign country.
This Parliament resolution comes at a time when the Spanish Prime Minister, the socialist Pedro Sanchez, will be visiting the Caribbean island next week, the first visit by a Spanish head of government in 32 years. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)