Letters from Cuba to the European Union

LETTERS FROM CUBA TO THE EUROPEAN UNION For the Inclusion of Independent Civil Society in the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement Between Cuba and the EU CUBAN INDEPENDENT CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction: It is Time for the EU to Include Ariadna Mena Rubio Civil Society in its Relations with Cuba ..................................3 European Union: Show Interest in Us ...............................42 Letters from Cuba to the European Union ..............................5 Dimas Cecilio Castellanos Martí Response to the Call for texts of Civil Rights Defenders Regarding the Agreement Between CUBAN INDEPENDENT CIVIL SOCIETY the European Union and Cuba ..........................................43 ORGANISATIONS Eduardo Clavel Rizo Association for Press Freedom Civil Society is the Key to the EU-Cuba Agreement ..........46 Proposals of the Association for Press Freedom to the European Union Regarding Emilio Almaguer de la Cruz the Agreement and Relations with Cuba ............................6 Cuban Civil Society’s Political Proposal to the EU ............49 Centre for Leadership and Development Studies Henry Couto Guzmán Recommendations to the Cuban Government A Warning to the EU: Cuba Will Not Comply with the EU as a Witness ....................................................9 with Anything ...................................................................52 Legal and Civic Education Council of Cuba Juan Adolfo Fernández Saínz Report by the Legal and Civic Education A Dialogue with Cuba is Essential ....................................54 Council of Cuba on the European Union’s Policy Regarding Cuba .....................................................12 Librado R. Linares Garcia Recommendations to the European Union Cuba Decide on Decision-Making Regarding Cuba ...............................56 EU-Cuba Agreement: The Road to Democracy is Now ............................................................14 Manuel Cuesta Morúa Cuba-EU: Vitalise the Values ............................................59 Cubalex Cubalex’s Recommendations to the María Matienzo Puerto Parliament of the European Union ...................................17 Questions Without Answers, and a Suggestion for the EU .............................................62 Patmos Institute Patmos Institute’s Criteria on the European Maydolis González Blanco Union’s Policy towards Cuba: Analysis and The EU-Cuba Agreement: Foreign Investment ..................64 Proposals on the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) ........................................20 Osmel Ramirez Alvarez The EU-Cuba Agreement, its Impact on San Isidro Movement Cuban Society and Possible Future Projection .................66 Recommendations to the European Parliament, the European Commission, the High Representative René Gómez Manzano for Foreign Affairs, and the Member States .....................22 New EU Executive Should Redo the Agreement with Cuba .......................................................69 Ministry Woman to Woman Mujer a Mujer’s Message for the European Union ............25 Roberto Jesús Quiñones Haces The European Union and the True Cuban Female Network Cuban Civil Society ..........................................................71 The European Union and Cuba: EU: The Five That Remain and Cuba .................................74 Stop the Agreement .........................................................27 Walkis González Valdés Cuban Civil Society Needs Assistance .............................76 MEMBERS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF THE INDEPENDENT CIVIL SOCIETY Yanelis Ramírez Cruz The Freedom to Practice Law in Cuba ..............................78 Alberto Fumero Batista The EU-Cuba Agreement, and its Implications .................29 Open Letter to the European Union ......................................80 Alejandro Rodriguez Gonzalez Timeline: The EU-Cuba Relations .........................................82 How Can the EU Help Cuba? .............................................32 Alejandro Tur Valladares The Role of Cuban Civil Society and the PDCA ......................84 Cuba Signs, But Does Not Comply with Agreements ........34 Proposals and Recommendations of Amado Calixto Gammalame Cuban Civil Society ..............................................................85 EU-Cuba Agreement: Against Permanent Repression .....................................................37 Contact Details ....................................................................87 Amador Blanco Hernandez Annex: Civil Rights Defenders Call for Texts on Notes to the European External Action Service ................40 the Policy of the European Union Towards Cuba ..................89 2 LETTERS FROM CUBA TO THE EUROPEAN UNION INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION: IT IS TIME FOR THE EU TO INCLUDE CIVIL SOCIETY IN ITS RELATIONS WITH CUBA No country has become a democracy thanks to an agreement between two governments. And democratisation has never happened without a strong civil society openly and peacefully mobilising citizens for democratic change. This is true in all countries with authoritarian leaders governing without a mandate from its citizens – including Cuba. Therefore, if the European Union (EU) wants to contribute to democratisation in Cuba, the EU will need to recognise and include the independent Cuban civil society in its efforts. The aim of this report is to show that there are several organisations and individuals within the civil society in Cuba who want to establish an open political dialogue with the EU on the implementation of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) between the EU and Cuba. The letters reflect their desire to be recognised as legitimate promoters of democracy within Cuba. During the negotiation process of the PDCA between Cuba and the EU (2014 – 2016), Cuban civil society was never invited to take part in the discussions on the Agreement. When the text of the Agreement was finalised, the European Commission kept it secret until it was presented to the European Council six months later, and by then it was too late for any political discussion regarding its content. Since then, Cuban civil society has not been invited to a discussion on how the PDCA should be implemented. The relationship between the EU and Cuba constitutes an exceptional case, compared to the way the EU traditionally handles its relations with non-member states. Usually, the EU maintains open and general contacts with civil society during both the negotiation and implementation processes of agreements. However, when the EU backed the Cuban government’s exclusion of civil society from the process, the EU also accepted the government’s oppression of Cuban’s rights to freedom of expression and association, as well as their right to take part in the conduct of public affairs of their own country. In order for the PDCA to contribute to the realisation of human rights in Cuba, the EU must invite independent civil society to an open and formal dialogue on EU-Cuba cooperation, and provide support to the human rights defenders of the country. A first step in such a dialogue could be that the EU delegation in Havana invites the authors in this report to a meeting on the progress of LETTERS FROM CUBA TO THE EUROPEAN UNION 3 INTRODUCTION the implementation of the PDCA. This would also be in line with the recent European Parliament Resolution of November 28, 2019, where the European Parliament: Calls for an institutionalized, formal, open and public dialogue with truly independent civil society to be established with the EU and Cuba, similar to those in place with other countries with which the EU has cooperation agreements; [and] Calls on the EEAS and the Commission to actively support civil society groups and individuals defending human rights in Cuba.1 Accordingly, in order for Cuban civil society to participate in a dialogue with the EU, and to have the possibility to mobilise society for democratic change, the Cuban state’s human rights violations and criminalisation of human rights defenders and activists, among others, must be put to an end. Consequently, the European Parliament determined, that in accordance with the provisions of the PDCA, the EU should “closely follow and monitor respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba when implementing the PDCA, and submit regular reports relating thereto to Parliament”.2 The letters from Cuban civil society representatives included in this report, not only reflect the authors desire to be recognised as legitimate actors within Cuba, but also their frustration with the lack of relations with the EU and its Member States. The same frustration exists in Europe. When Civil Rights Defenders and several other European organisations asked to participate in the civil society session of the EU human rights dialogue with Cuba established in the PDCA, we were told that the Cuban government would not accept it. When the Cuban government even restricts the participation of European civil society organisations in EU affairs, it is time for the EU to take a clear stand on the right of all Cuban and European citizens to participate in shaping the relations between Cuba and the EU. 1. European Parliament, European Parliament Resolution of 28 November 2019 on Cuba, the case of José Daniel Ferrer (2019/2929(RSP)) para. 10 and 12 2. Ibid, para.6 4 LETTERS FROM CUBA TO THE EUROPEAN UNION LETTERS FROM CUBA TO THE EUROPEAN UNION LETTERS FROM CUBA TO THE EUROPEAN UNION In July 2019, Civil Rights Defenders invited Cuban

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