EU Was Too Slow in Bridging Cuba Ties - Spanish Journalist

Cuba does not need Europe and does not see it as a priority, which the EU's 'Common Position' on Cuba does not help, Spanish political expert Jose Manuel Martin Medem told Sputnik.

The European Union was too slow to bridge ties with Cuba because of its "Common Position" agreement on the country, Spanish government RTVE television journalist Jose Manuel Martin Medem told Sputnik.

According to Medem, Spanish businessmen are very worried because there are now new economic players in Cuba. Meanwhile, the European Union remains behind the US in repairing its relations with Cuba.

"The EU was too late again because it created a 'Common Position' on Cuba, following the US, and now, as Washington and Havana are again opening embassies, Brussels is still discussing whether this 'Common Position' should be abandoned," Medem said.

According to Medem, Spain performed very poorly since the premiership of Jose Maria Asnara, who insisted on the "Common Position" in Brussels, thereby closing the doors for talks with Cuba. The situation only slightly improved under prime minister Jose Luis Sapatero.

Medem sees integration with other Latin American countries as the best option for the island's development. According to him, Cuba does not see the EU as a priority.

"Today Cuba has a broader spectrum of diplomatic relations than ever before, and Europe presents neither political, nor economic, nor geostrategic interest," Medem added.

Medem brought up the example of Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo, who visited Cuba in November 2014, but was "humiliated" by not being received by Cuban President Raul Castro.