EU/Cuba

EU drops sanctions against Cuba

Article published on the 2008-06-20 Latest update 2008-06-20 13:38 TU

Cuban President Raul Castro.
(Photo : Reuters)

EU nations have lifted all sanctions against Cuba definitively, diplomats announced at the EU summit in Brussels. EU foreign ministers came to the agreement at a dinner on the sidelines of the summit, where bigger issues around the Irish Lisbon treaty rejection have overshadowed other events.

The decision was largely symbolic, as sanctions had been suspended since 2005, but that didn’t prevent US officials from condemning the decision.

The sanctions weren’t as tough as Washington's, as they restrict only high-level diplomatic contact and offer symbolic support to Cuban dissidents. The American sanctions, by contrast, include a blanket travel ban, and a total restriction on trade and business partnerships.

An EU official cited encouraging signs in Cuba, and said that lifting the sanctions was a way to encourage Havana to continue human rights reforms.

Oxford-based Latin America analyst Colin Harding told RFI that the EU is anxious to deepen trade ties.

"They do have quite substantial trade and investment with Cuba and I think they’re trying to push things in that direction," he said. "Especially the Spanish - this has been very much a Spanish initiative to lift the sanctions."

Some EU countries, such as the Czech Republic remain hesitant about lifting the sanctions before “real change” has occurred on the Caribbean island. The decision will be reviewed in 12 months' time.