According to the European External Action Service, the contacts - held between 18 and 25 April within the framework of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) between the parties - served to address unilateral coercive measures and sustainable development, also including sectoral dialogues on agriculture, environment and climate change, and energy.

The EU countries have repeatedly voted in the United Nations in favor of the resolution annually presented by Havana in the General Assembly against the United States sanctions on Cuba.

In this latest round, the EU recalled "the unanimous support of the Member States (...) to the annual anti-embargo resolution in the UN General Assembly" and reported on the operation of a regulation intended to mitigate the impact of extraterritorial measures (related to the US sanctions on Cubans).

In addition, the European bloc reiterated the importance of Cuba implementing reforms to modernize its economy and create a favorable climate for trade and investment between the two parties, something they have shown themselves willing to support.

As in the last dialogue on human rights held in Havana last November, the two parties agreed on a series of follow-up actions, starting with the plan to organize a technical exchange between experts on the effects of the Helms-Burton Act - US legislation that reinforces the embargo on the Caribbean island.

The parties also agreed to continue to jointly explore possible mechanisms and frameworks that contribute to a favorable environment for trade, investment and cooperation between Cuba and the European Union, promote exchanges and protect the legitimate interests of operators from both parties.

Another commitment was to maintain exchanges in multilateral forums that aim at dialogue between the parties and to carry out specific exchanges on innovative approaches and cooperation actions that can contribute to the diversification and economic updating for the development of Cuba.

The meetings are held in the context of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) that has guided relations between Havana and Brussels since 2017.

The PDCA replaced the EU's so-called "common position" on Cuba, which the bloc had maintained since 1996 and which linked any progress in bilateral relations to progress in democratization and human rights on the island.

The EU delegation was led by Pelayo Castro, Deputy Director-General for the Americas of the European External Action Service (EEAS), while the Cuban delegation was led by the Director-General for Multilateral Affairs and International Law of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rodolfo Benítez.

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