As reported by the Parliament on Twitter, the head of the Assembly exchanged with the MEP at the headquarters of the National Capitol as part of the work agenda of the Italian politician and writer.

During the day on Monday, Smeriglio was received by Félix Martínez, president of the Assembly’s Economic Affairs Committee, and Rolando González, vice president of its International Relations Committee, to discuss current national and international issues.

The MEP, a member of the Democratic Party in Italy, toured rooms of interest in the Capitol along with the delegation that accompanies him.

(Taken from ACN)

It seems that the parliamentarians do not know that there are laws in Cuba, that there is a Constitution approved by the people, and that these documents prohibit foreign interference in their implementation.

Those who raised their hands to meddle in the affairs of another country should know that this individual is a “dissident” created by the U.S. embassy, paid by the State Department through USAID and other organizations such as the NED, publicly identified with the worst of the Cuban-American mafia in Miami.

European friends, your threats and meddling are not needed. Ferrer himself, in video recordings of his meetings in the United States, with his mercenary contacts in the so-called Cuban-American National Foundation, acknowledges and identifies himself as such. He is no “poor thing,” stating that the United States has paid him thousands of dollars to make a counterrevolution in Cuba.

The “representatives” of the continent’s countries should know, once and for all, that, in the Island of freedom and resistance, no one has been tortured in the last 60 years.

Nor has anyone been sentenced to prison without due process, with all charges fully investigated and proven.

I think it is very important for the European Parliament to know that with this resolution, which is full of lies and hatred, it has aligned itself with those who have blockaded Cuba, those who insist on attempting to asphyxiate the people with their sanctions.

Those who manufacture “dissidents” of the likes of José Daniel Ferrer have been defeated again and again in all arenas, that is, militarily in Girón, and diplomatically and politically over the past six decades.

We are tired of hearing lies like this. Rubbish of this magnitude will not only be condemned by our country, but by friendly nations and governments, which understand what this is about and what it seeks to accomplish.

A recommendation to the European representatives would be to concentrate on finding solutions for the thousands of immigrants who arrive on their coasts, mainly from Africa and Asia. Let the Western world, rich countries, those that talk most about human rights and democracy, demonstrate their virtue by working to eliminate hunger, war, and disease, the real reasons people from these regions emigrate.

At the Parliament meeting, Czech representative Dita Charanzová stated, “The EU has sent a strong message and must take action within the framework of the Agreement with Cuba if they do not already release Ferrer.”

This threat to Cuba is included in the European Parliament’s communiqué, which states, “MEPs recall that the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and Cuba provides for its suspension in the event of human rights violations and urges the EU to closely monitor respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba.”

Apparently, they do not know that Cubans are not intimidated by threats and that, on the contrary, we know how to fight and win on this and other fronts.

Furthermore, the description of this mercenary as the most “emblematic prisoner” is not serious. They cling to lies about denial of family contact, but Ferrer has received regular visits, as established by prison regulations; and that he has not received medical care, while he, in fact, has daily check-ups and an adequate diet.

These lies, that the Parliament is repeating, have been completely exposed by the most recent video released by Cuban media.

What a shame, European Parliament! Cuba stands firm in the face of so much infamy in resolutions based on hatred, interference, and subservience to the United States.

The international community is always able to recognize mercenaries and their allies.

(Granma)

The President of the ProgressiveAlliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D Group)in the European Parliament, renowned Italian politician Gianni Pittella, who recently led a delegation of MEPs to the island, spoke about this and other relevant matters which, if we consider ourselves to be cohabitants of the same planet, not only concern the European Parliament, but us all.

The leader of the S&D noted that the agreement in question – supported by his group – is a priority, given that Cuba is the only country in the region with which the EU does not have a document of this kind.

“Negotiations with Cuba must advance with greater speed in order to reach a definitive cooperation agreement because until now this matter has been a black hole which must be filled, and secondly, we must promote and develop integration with Latin America as a part of a political project, because the EU itself is a political integration mechanism.”

Two successful CELAC-EU Summits and, in Cuba’s case specifically, visits by senior officials from both sides, such as that of the S&D delegation to Havana, which coincided with a visit by Germany’s Deputy Foreign Minister and Minister of Economy and Energy, Sigmar Gabriel, represent noteworthy events in the history of ties between the two regional organizations.

Speaking to Granma on various occasions, EU Ambassador and head of the organization’s delegation in Cuba, Herman Portocarero, has highlighted the positive state of relations between the two parties which are currently at “an extremely interesting” phase of their development, while also noting substantial progress made toward reaching the aforementioned agreement. The core aspect of the accord not only concerns exchanges between diplomats, but also the need for bi-directional inter-institutional dialogue.

This is an important matter for the Cuban delegation, given that the EU – an organization with global reach – is the island’s second most important trading partner; top export destination, number two – after Venezuela – on the island’s list of importers and main source of foreign investment projects (71%) established in the country.

During his intense visit to Havana, Pittella, with a longstanding and solid career in Italian politics and the European Parliament, made the most of every encounter, every space, to demonstrate both his and the group’s support for the continuation of the European Union and the rapprochement with the island.

During one of his exchanges with the press, Pittella described the S&D’s current priorities, including those specifically related to Cuba.

First, he noted, “is to ensure an economic revival within the region and policies with a broader reach, after a long phase of austerity which has greatly weakened the European economy and has brought social unity to its knees.
”The second priority is to effectively manage the movement of peoples and the migratory crisis, by distributing refugees in accordance with member nation’s capacity to receive them, underpinned by the key principle of solidarity,” he noted.

The third is “to develop the EU’s foreign policy, to make it a genuine actor, player and contributor on the international stage, and not only though our relations with the United States, but also with Latin America given that they have been somewhat neglected over recent years and must be revived.”

Speaking about elements which he believes to be of strategic importance, such as expanding ties, social cohesion and sustainable development, factors which for him continue to be the ingredients for a European recipe to escape the economic crisis, Pittella noted that “in order to achieve sustainable development, you have to consider the basis on which relations between both countries are established and try to make it more flexible to allow for investments in sectors which are more productive in terms of work and cohesion.”

Co-author, together with Thomas Fazi, of the book The night of Europe –which explores regional tensions given Greece’s possible exit from the Eurozone – the member of parliament warned of certain issues which (in his opinion) spell the end of the EU. Among them, he highlighted the migratory crisis which has met with “a diversity of responses from countries, a consensus hasn’t been reached among them, with the main division lying between eastern and western European countries. And in this regard – once again with the support of the entire Group – I have made the commitment to ensure that division doesn’t occur and we remain united in the face of the crisis.”

Pittella highlighted increasing investment in receiver countries (which despite proving a quick way to resolve the refugee crisis, also acts as an incentive to migrants), or in emissary nations, as the most effective solution to deal with the migration crisis, while also noting that far from what is being claimed by various political groups via different media outlets, Europe is “not experiencing an invasion.”
An encouraging sign of the region’s willingness to provide more substantial assistance to refugees, is the recent proposal by the European Commission to create a new emergency assistance mechanism, which according to a March 2 press release, is “to be used within the European Union to provide a faster, more targeted response to major crises, including helping Member States cope with large numbers of refugees.”
In the statement, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides said: “With this proposal, we will be able to deliver emergency assistance for crises much faster than before, inside the European Union. Right now, there’s no doubt that this will be particularly needed to support refugees. No time can be lost in deploying all means possible to prevent humanitarian suffering within our own borders. Today’s proposal will make €700 million available to provide help where it is most needed. I now look to European governments and the European Parliament to quickly back the proposal.”
The document continues: “The Commission will urgently propose, to the European Parliament and to the Council as the budgetary authorities, an amending budget for 2016 to create the budget line for the instrument. The estimated needs for 2016 are €300 million with a further €200 million each for use in 2017 and 2018, respectively.”
As such “funding would therefore not be diverted from existing external humanitarian aid programmes outside the EU.” The proposal thus constitutes an attempt at reversing the migration crisis which according to some media is seeing several European governments on the brink of suspending the region’s passport-free travel zone under the terms of the Schengen Agreement.
A close look at these matters reveals that inside the EU clear actions in support of maintaining the regional bloc are being carried out across various spheres; while if we turn our attention to its relationship with Latin America we see another potential area for greater interaction.