Current problems of Europe

Cuba – the EU: controversial partnership

Калашников Н.В.

Kalashnikov Nikolai Viktorovich – Ph.D. in Economic Sciences, Adviser of Director, Leading Researcher Institute of Latin American Studies RAS

Abstract

The article studies the features of the establishment relations between Cuba and EU in the post-soviet period. Their development for more than 30 years has been uneven and conditionally divided into three stages. In the case of mutual economic interest of the parties, these stages are determined by the presence of a political factor. The European Union's efforts to achieve Havana's respect for its ideas about democracy and human rights have been met with constant resistance from Cuban authorities, who interpret such attempts as interference in internal affairs. The aggravation of political contradictions periodically led to a freezing of trade and economic ties. This situation reached critical scales after the adoption of the «Common Position» on Cuba by the European Union in 1996. At the same time, the peculiarity of the decisions taken by Brussels for political reasons was their non-proliferation to the bilateral relations of European countries with Cuba. It is necessary to take into consideration the changes of the international situation around Cuba. In particular, B. Obama's Cuban policy had an indirect influence on Europe's cancellation of the «Common Position», which opened up business opportunities for U.S. companies on the island and threatened the economic interests of the European Union here. This prompted Brussels to sign a cooperation agreement between Cuba and the EU in 2016, also as a result of political and economic changes on the island. However, the remaining contradictions are an obstacle to the establishment of a full partnership between Brussels and Havana.

Keywords

Cuba, the European Union, cooperation, contradictions, common position, Spain, USA, reforms, trade

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