European Lawmakers to Propose Ending EU Agreements with Cuba

Spanish Member of the European Parliament Hermann Tertsch declared on Monday that his political group will introduce a motion at the upcoming European Parliament session to immediately halt the ongoing agreements between the European Union and Cuba.

Tertsch, part of the Patriots for Europe group which includes Spain's Vox party, made this announcement via a video on his X account, accompanied by the message, "Long live a free Cuba! And very soon!"

Call for Immediate Action Against the Cuban Regime

"The situation of the Cuban people under the communist dictatorship has become utterly unbearable. We are aware that a process is underway for this dictatorship to end, and it will end soon," Tertsch stated in the video.

He further emphasized, "We cannot allow the shameful reality that Europe remains the last support for this tyranny which has been torturing the Cuban people and spreading its message of hatred, violence, and misery across Latin America for 67 years."

Targeting European Support to the Cuban Regime

The MEP was clear about the resolution's goal: "Patriots, prompted by Vox, will propose a resolution in the European Parliament, in the next plenary session, to immediately suspend agreements with Cuba, which allow for the unprecedented and disgraceful European funding of the Communist Party and its repressive organs."

The resolution goes beyond just suspending agreements. Tertsch also demanded "specific, active measures against the regime, against those responsible for all the crimes," and called for the "immediate release of all political prisoners in Cuba" along with immediate steps towards a democratic transition.

The Role of the United States and Rising Pressure

Tertsch also highlighted the crucial role of the United States as an essential ally in this process: "With the help of our allies, the United States, who have been crucial in Venezuela and must also be in Cuba to take these steps and create a free and democratic society where there has been nothing but horror and darkness, pain and killings for the last 67 years."

This initiative surfaces amid growing pressure on the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) between the EU and Cuba, signed in 2016 and effective since 2017, which channels tens of millions of euros annually and has been criticized for benefiting Cuban state entities rather than independent civil society.

Historical Context and Cuban Civil Society's Role

In January, the European Parliament had already passed an amendment with 331 votes in favor and 241 against to suspend cooperation with Cuba, citing the presence of over 1,076 Cuban fighters in Ukraine and the use of European funds in repressive structures. In March, MEPs from the ECR group demanded an end to European funding of the regime.

Cuban civil society has played a crucial role in this process. In April 2026, activists Carolina Barrero and Amelia Calzadilla, from the Citizenry and Freedom group, confirmed that the EU had started an internal review process of the PDCA after meeting with European Parliament Vice President Esteban González Pons. Calzadilla described those meetings as "very optimistic."

On May 5, opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer, exiled from Cuba in October 2025 following a hunger strike in prison, appeared before the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee and described Cuba as being in "the worst crisis of its modern history." The next day, he labeled the EU-Cuba agreement as "an aspirin for a terrible cancer."

Parliamentary pressure on the PDCA dates back to the July 11, 2021 protests, when the European Parliament approved a condemnation resolution with 426 votes in favor. In September 2024, a new resolution received 447 votes, condemning arbitrary detentions and citing over 1,377 political prisoners on the Island.