The EU envoy invites Cuba to end the "internal blockade"

Mogherini, of Italian nationality, chairs the delegation to the Second Cuba-European Union Joint Council, which met today in Havana, also headed by Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Cuban Foreign Minister.

"Cuba is at a crossroads after having made its generational transition and endowing itself with a new Constitution, now Cuba faces important challenges to carry out its economic modernization in a very difficult environment"said Mogherini.
"Opening the economy and overcoming what President Díaz-Canel has called the 'internal blockade' is of crucial importance and not only to promote closer trade ties between the European Union and Cuba, we want to take advantage of the economic potential of our relationship." he indicated.
The "internal blockade" is a concept with which Cubans themselves – paraphrasing the US economic blockade – describe the government bureaucracy and how she, together with corruption, have become the main obstacles to economic development initiatives, such as foreign investment or national production to replace imports.
Mogherini said in his opening remarks that Cuba is a “key partner” in the regional context for the EU, so Europe has allocated investments of over 200,000 million dollars since 2008 to improve the island's infrastructure in various rubles, such as energy, agriculture and food.
“Europe is firmly committed to the future of Cuba”, said the experienced diplomat, in a message that reveals the differences of the European bloc with the United States, which maintains a policy of economic siege towards the island.
The EU has institutionally rejected the application by the United States of Title III of the Helms Burton Act, which allows lawsuits in US courts against foreign companies that do business on properties confiscated in Cuba.

"The holding of this Second Joint Council is a sign of the progress of relations with the EU … It will allow us to take stock of the progress and project future actions for mutual benefit," said Rodríguez Parrilla.
Mogherini also extended the EU's contribution to the issue of climate change, in which Cuba has been singing in the region for several decades.
“The EU is aware of the vulnerability of Cuba, and the Caribbean in particular, with climate change. The EU is willing to help, ”he said.
On several occasions Mogherini has visited the Caribbean country and last May he spoke in Brussels, Belgium, in a meeting with the Cuban Foreign Minister, for the need to suspend Title III, which intensifies the US economic blockade against Cuba.
In one of them, in March 2016, the representative of the foreign affairs of the European bloc was in Havana to announce the end of the process of normalization of relations between the EU and Cuba and even propose a new stage of cooperation, in terms of which works since then.
The Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement signed in 2016, which gave context to today's meeting, ended two decades of tensions between Brussels and Havana in which the European policy called “Common Position” prevailed, which made progress in relation to changes in the Cuban policy on human rights contingent.

The new pact opened the door to development agreements in various aspects and boosted European investments in the island.
Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba (Minrex) received today in this capital Federica Mogherini, high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and vice president of the European Commission, in a meeting prior to the Bilateral work session to be held on Monday.
The meeting took place at the headquarters of the Minrex and is considered part of the program of official conversations with Cuban authorities, among other activities that will be held by the head of European diplomacy, who arrived in Havana last Friday.
Mogherini, of Italian nationality, presides over the delegation to the Second Cuba-European Union Joint Council, scheduled for Monday in Havana, also headed by Rodríguez Parrilla.
On several occasions Mogherini has visited the Caribbean country and last May he spoke in Brussels, in a meeting with the Cuban Foreign Minister, for the need to suspend Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, which intensifies the US economic blockade against Cuba .
In one of them, in March 2016, the representative of the foreign affairs of the European bloc was in Havana to announce the end of the process of normalization of relations between the EU and Cuba and even propose a new stage of cooperation, in terms of which works since then.
The first meeting of the Joint Committee between Cuba and the European Union, which assists the Council in fulfilling its functions and obligations, met this Saturday in the capital of the island.

“The work of this Joint Committee has shown that there are more elements that unite us than those that separate us. The relevance of this mechanism has been evidenced. We will continue to work with respect, trust, transparency and cooperation, ”said Minrex in his Twitter account.
As part of its activities, Mogherini toured today the old Convent of Santa Clara, located in the historic center of the city, in Old Havana, next to the historian of Havana, Eusebio Leal Spengler, who gave him a detailed explanation of the works of rehabilitation of the ancient Monastery, founded in 1603.
In the presence of Katerin Muller-Marín, a Unesco representative in Cuba, Mogherini learned about the reconstruction process, with EU funding, from the Convent of Santa Clara, which will become a center for the formation of arts and crafts. catering trades, for Cuban students and other Caribbean countries, including Puerto Rico.
Cuba and the European Union (EU) last week held a Joint Committee in which they evaluated the development of political and cooperation dialogues, as well as the ratification of the member states of the community bloc of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement signed in 2016. The meeting was a preparatory for the visit of Mogherini.
The Agreement on Political Dialogue and Cooperation signed in 2016 ended two decades of tensions between Brussels and Havana in which the European policy called “Common Position” prevailed, which made progress in relation to changes in Cuban policy on human rights.