The European Union ended Monday with the institutional veto it has applied for 20 years to Cuba.
EU Foreign Policy High Representative Federica Mogherini, Foreign Ministers of the Twenty-Eight and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez signed a bilateral agreement that normalizes relations and sets a framework for dialogue for the first time And cooperation between the two territories.
After almost two years of negotiations, the agreement repeals the so-called “common position”, promoted in 1996 by the then Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar, which conditioned the negotiations on democratic and human rights advances on the island.
The European Union called on the Cuban government to respect human rights and carry out economic reforms to improve living conditions on the island.
These petitions are part of the new “common position” on Cuba, approved Monday in Brussels by the European Ministers of Foreign Affairs.
In the document, the European Union reiterates that its “objectives” in relation to the island are respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, the transition to a democratic system and the implementation of economic reforms.
