BRUSSELS, Belgium — The European Union on Thursday agreed to lift its diplomatic sanctions against Cuba but imposed tough conditions on the communist island to maintain sanction-free relations, officials said.
The U.S., which has maintained a decades-long trade embargo against Cuba, criticized the move, saying there were no significant signs the communist island was easing a dictatorship. An independent analyst predicted it would have no affect on U.S.policy toward the Caribbean island.
EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said the bloc felt it had to encourage changes in Cuba after Raul Castro took over as the head of the country’s government from his ailing brother Fidel.
The largely symbolic decision takes effect Monday. The diplomatic sanctions, which banned high-level visits to EU nations by Cuban officials, have not been in force since 2005. They were imposed in 2003 following the arrests of dozens of dissidents but suspended two years later.
In Havana, state television mentioned the EU’s decision briefly but did not give any government reaction.
As part of its action, the EU approved a set of conditions on Cuba in return for sanction-free relations. They include the release of all political prisoners; access for Cubans to the Internet; and a double-track approach for all EU delegations arriving in Cuba, allowing them to meet both opposition figures and members of the Cuban government.
Officials said the bloc will evaluate Cuba’s progress in a year’s time and could take new measures if human rights do not improve.
The U.S. expressed its opposition.
“We’re disappointed,” White House deputy press secretary Gordon Johndroe said. “We think the Castros need to take a number of steps to improve the human-rights conditions for ordinary Cubans before any sanctions are lifted.”
