Dear
President of the European Parliament
Roberta Metsola,
As associations and organisations in Europe for friendship and solidarity with Cuba, we
would like to express our deep desire and strong insistence that the European Union
maintain, develop and strengthen constructive relations of mutual respect and mutually
beneficial cooperation with the Republic of Cuba, based on the principles of the U.N. Charter
and specifically the Agreement for Political Dialogue and Cooperation signed in 2016
between the EU and Cuba.
We believe that, as a community committed to international laws and upholding universal
human values, the EU must immediately make an active effort through all possible channels
to lift the 65-year-old destructive and criminal US blockade of Cuba, which has been
repeatedly aggravated over the years by new restrictions and punitive measures from
successive U.S. governments.
The current Trump administration has enforced a total oil blockade with barbaric effects for
all people in Cuba, and an unlawful expansion and unilateral deepening of extraterritorial
negative effects for third countries. Based on a ultra-nationalist and imperialist ideology,
these are now seriously damaging the interests of European investors and entrepreneurs
wanting to do business with Cuba. These measures are even harming many civil society
organisations, tourists, families and ordinary citizens. The extraterritorial impact is
unacceptable and should be opposed and stopped by any means.
For 33 consecutive years, the United Nations General Assembly voted almost unanimously
in support of a resolution calling for an immediate end of the U.S. blockade on Cuba. The EU
and its member states should implement “Council Regulation (EC) No 2271/96 of 22
November 1996”. In addition, the European Commission should call upon the World Trade
Organisation to indict the U.S. government for its permanent violations of international
trade laws and principles.
With such actions the EU would support many other countries, companies and
organisations, in their perfectly legal desire to do business and to cooperate with Cuba.
Currently, the Trump administration is even preparing military attacks and threatening a
military invasion and violent overthrow against Cuba.
Such a crime against humanity must be immediately prevented by the EU. Once again, this
US ‘Donroe Doctrine’ policy risks causing enormous loss of life and destruction, leaving
behind terrible chaos, just as it has done previously in other regions and countries! We are
concerned that the EU is not speaking out against this new attack on a country’s sovereignty.
We therefore urge you, on behalf of the EU, to break the silence as a matter of urgency and
to strongly condemn the destructive policy of the US government and denounce it in the UN
Security Council.
Sincerely yours,
The undersigned 30 organisations from 19 countries:
- AUSTRIA: Hermann Pernerstorfer (President), Österreichisch-Kubanische Gesellschaft and
Michael Wögerer (President of the Board of Trustees) - BELGIUM: Wim Leysens (Secretary), Coordinación para el levantamiento del bloqueo
contra Cuba (40 member organisations)
Freddy Tack(Vice-presidente), Les Amis de Cuba asbl – De Vrienden van Cuba vzw - BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: Sead Halilovic (President), Association of the Bosnian
and Herzegovinian-Cuban Friendship - DENMARK: Susanne Wind (President), Dansk-Cubansk Forening
- FINLAND: Eeva Kokki (President), Suomi-Kuuba-seura r.y. (Asociación de Amistad Finlandia-
Cuba) - FRANCE: Fabrice Leclerc (Président), Association France Cuba; Victor Fernández (Président),
Association Cuba Cooperation France; Didier Lalande (Président), Association Cuba Linda;
Charly Bouhana (Président), Association CubaSi France - GERMANY: Dr. Edgar Göll (President), Netzwerk Cuba e.V. (38 member groups)
- GREECE: Ioannis Tsalavoutas (Cordinador), La Red Solidaria Griega; Andreas Chaicalis
(President); Greek Cuban Association “Venceremos” of Kalamata; Alekos Chalvatzis
(Coordinator); “Jose Marti” Cultural Association (Greece) – Solidarity with Cuba - IRELAND: Simon McGuinness (National Coordinator), Cuba Support Group
- ITALY: Coordinamento di solidarietà con Cuba, Maria Giovanna Tamburello (Presidente) ASC
Sezione Ticino; Marco Papacci (Presidente), Associazione Nazionale di Amicizia Italia-Cuba,
Anna Serena Bartolucci (President), Associazione Solidarietà Internazionalista con Cuba-
AsiCubaUmbria - MEDICUBA Europa: Franco Cavalli (Presidente)
- NORWAY: Cihan Karakoc (president), Cubaforeningen i Norge/Norwegian- Cuba association
- SERBIA: Sveto Dobrijević (President), Serbian-Cuban Friendship Association
- SLOVENIA: Igor JURIŠIČ (President) Slovene – Cuban friendship association
- SPAIN: David Rodriguez (Presidente) MESC – Movimiento Estatal de Solidaridad con Cuba; José
Luis García de Mingo (Presidente), Colectivo 26 de Julio (Madrid);
Rocío Raya Galvín (Presidenta), Asociación Valenciana de Amistad con Cuba José Martí - SWEDEN: Anna Assarsson (President), Swedish-Cuban Association
- SWITZERLAND: Samuel Wanitsch (President), ASC – Asociation Switzerland-Cuba; Maria
Giovanna Tamburello (President), ASC-Section Tessin - TURKEY: Yigit Gunay (President), José Martí Küba Dostluk Derneği (JMKDD)
(Asociación José Martí de Amistad Cuba-Turquía) - UNITED KINGDOM: Rob Miller (Director) and Bernard Regan (Secretary), Cuba
Solidarity Campaign