CUBA-EU: Relations at Rock Bottom

By Patricia Grogg Reprint | | Print |

Patricia Grogg

HAVANA, Oct 10 2003 (IPS) - Although relations between Cuba and the European Union (EU) are in crisis, the European bloc is still willing to engage in political dialogue and discuss aid and cooperation, said the EU business attaché in this Caribbean island nation, Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff.

At a time when relations between EU authorities and the socialist government of Fidel Castro have hit rock bottom, what it necessary is to seek common ground, said the diplomat.

”We are working on that, but it takes two to tango – or to dance salsa,” said Kühn von Burgsdorff in an interview with IPS.

Kühn von Burgsdorff heads the office of the European Commission – the EU executive branch – in Havana, which was inaugurated in mid-March by the bloc’s Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Poul Neilson.

At the time, observers said the installation of the office opened a new stage in EU-Cuban relations, and gave the EU greater influence on the internal Cuban scene.

But just a few weeks later, 75 dissidents were handed stiff sentences of up to 28 years, and three men who hijacked a ferry in an attempt to defect to the United States were executed by firing squad after a summary trial.

Kühn von Burgsdorff said that was the start of the crisis, which has driven relations ”to the lowest level ever seen here.

”The EU has clear principles with respect to human rights, which we apply around the world, not only in Cuba…We cannot refrain from making our position known,” said the German diplomat, who described the severity of the sentences as ”unjust and unacceptable.”

To show its displeasure, the EU took a series of actions in Cuba on Jun. 5 that annoyed the Castro government, especially the decision to invite dissidents to embassy celebrations of the national holidays of the bloc’s member countries.

”The position taken by the EU was not one-sided. Political and civil rights form part of our cooperation treaties and accords,” said Kühn von Burgsdorff.

He also said the invitation to the embassies extended to dissidents was ”a symbolic gesture to show that we see dissidents and political opponents as also forming part of civil society.

”We made the decision from that perspective, and it was never conceived of as meddling in internal affairs or as an attack on the sovereignty of the Cuban state,” he added.

However, Castro saw things in a different light. In European embassy receptions, it is no longer possible to find Cuban ministers, deputy ministers, or even lower-ranking officials.

By the same token, the ambassadors of EU member countries are no longer invited to official activities in Cuba, nor can they directly contact a ministry or other official institution. The contacts, if they are allowed, take place through verbal or written messages.

Kühn von Burgsdorff said ”the diplomatic freeze-out” was not the initiative of the EU. ”On the contrary,” he added, ”we have not reciprocated in our treatment of Cuban diplomats in Europe. In our reactions, we have clearly emphasised that we are not considering blocking dialogue with Cuba.”

In the midst of the crisis, there have been proposals to close the EU office in Cuba as a sign of protest, but that extreme has been ruled out by the European Commission.

”Europe’s interests here are long-term in nature, and if we opened a delegation in Cuba, it was to defend them, as well as to hold a dialogue with local authorities and civil society. And that is true in any part of the world where we have diplomatic missions,” he said.

But the diplomat also said that the channels for the EU to collaborate with Cuba, through trade, investment or political dialogue, ”also depend on the other party.”

”That is why we are very frustrated to observe the Cuban authorities’ decision to complicate bilateral relations,” he said.

The Cuban government said on Aug. 27 that it rejected any official aid directly administered by the European Commission or by European aid agencies.

”That is a sovereign decision by the Cuban state,” said the diplomat, who believes that although Cuba has refused direct contacts with European officials, ”there are possibilities for cooperation, although through different mechanisms.”

”We are now exploring the possibilities, seeking operational measures that would permit us to continue providing aid to Cuba,” he said.

EU aid to Cuba amounted to a total of 145 million dollars between 1993 and 2002, two-thirds of which was humanitarian aid.

”The projects that have been cancelled due to the Cuban government’s decision had a total value of 16 million dollars. We are currently involved in 22 projects with non-governmental organisations amounting to around 15 million dollars,” he said.

Some 20 European NGOs currently operate in Cuba, although some have begun to scale back their activities in the past few months, apparently under pressure from sectors in their countries that are critical of conditions here.

The Hivos and Prince Claus foundations from the Netherlands, and AFA in France, for instance, cancelled a combined total of more than 200,000 dollars earmarked for the eighth Havana Biennial, an international art show, to be held in November and December.

Germany has also declined to participate, as a guest country, in next January’s book fair. ”Each country decides what it wants to to with its own funds…These are individual decisions reached by the member states,” said Kühn von Burgsdorff.

Cuban authorities also cancelled a European Commission project involving 2.8 million euros (3.3 million dollars) that were to support the participation of Cuban businesspeople in trade fairs, and promote investment.

EU countries account for around 34 percent of Cuba’s trade with the world, and the EU is the main investor in this country of 11.2 million.