The European Union and Cuba have signed their first ever agreement on closer ties with the aim of supporting economic development and promoting democracy and human rights on the island.
EU ministers last week agreed to drop a policy in place since 1996 which stated that Cuba first had to improve its human rights standards before getting closer links with the bloc.
The agreement will be signed and concluded as a “mixed” agreement. This means that on the EU side, it must be signed by both the EU and the member states, and ratified by all relevant national and regional parliaments.
The agreement will be applied on a provisional basis, pending ratification by all of the member states.
Provisional application will concern the provisions of EU competence.
The 34th edition of the largest international business fair in Havana (FIHAV 2016) has been scheduled from October 31 to November 4. The event will contribute not only to promote Cuban exports, but also it aims to attract foreign capital.
Among the side events, the celebration of the First Investment Forum which will take place during 1st and 2nd of November which includes the Business Portfolio 2016, as well as bilateral meetings between Cuban and foreign investors. In addition, a panel of experts will inform about the opportunities the Cuban market offers.
According to the Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, the priority sectors are tourism, renewable energy, agriculture and the Special Economic Development Zone of Mariel (ZEDM). In the field of exports beyond traditional elements such as cigars and rum, medical and pharmaceutical services are now the primary goods for export.
FIHAV 2016, advertised as the best of its kind in the Cuban capital. 75 countries has been confirmed its participation, as well as the representation of 325 national companies.
(Prensa Latina) Cuba and the United States are negotiating six new cooperation agreements in sectors of mutual interest, said Cuban Foreign Ministry official Josefina Vidal after the fourth meeting of the Bilateral Commission on Friday.
The director general of the U.S. Department at the Cuban Foreign Ministry noted the accords cover law enforcement, seismic monitoring, exchange of meteorological information, protected marine areas, search and rescue operations and the response to hydrocarbon spillage in the Gulf of Mexico and the Straits of Florida.
These agreements that we are negotiating would be adopted, if possible, before the end of 2016, she noted during a Q&A session on Twitter, a virtual dialogue she had under the tag #AskCubaUS.
Vidal, who on Friday chaired the new meeting of the commission, informed that between October and December, officials from the two countries will pay high-level visits and will hold about a dozen technical meetings.
The bilateral mechanism that was activated a year ago held its fourth meeting on Friday, when both parties reviewed the results of discussions during the previous contact in May. They also analyzed the new steps to move forward in bilateral relations, which were reestablished in July 2015.
According to Vidal, once again, the Cuban delegation noted to its counterpart, headed by the joint secretary for the Western Hemisphere, Mari Carmen Aponte, the need to put an end to U.S. policies that affect rapprochement, like the economic, commercial and financial blockade and the programs aimed at causing internal changes in Cuba.
Cuba has officially authorized the first flight of the US airline JetBlue between Florida and Cuba. This Wednesday will start its Go nonstop to Cuba services. The first regular commercial will take off from, Florida and arrive in Santa Clara.
JetBlue will initially operate flights on three routes between Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and:
Santa Clara– Abel Santamaría Airport (SNU)
Monday, Wednesday & Friday flights starting August 31, 2016
Daily flights starting October 1, 2016
Camagüey – Ignacio Agramonte Airport (CMW)
Daily flights starting November 3, 2016
Holguín – Frank País Airport (HOG)
Daily flights starting November 10, 2016
AT&T has reached agreements for Cuba roaming and direct interconnection with Empresa De Telecomunicaciones De Cuba (ETECSA). The deal continues to enhance AT&T’s global coverage for customers – the best of any U.S. wireless provider.
“Cuba is a growing international calling destination for our customers,” said Bill Hague, executive vice president, AT&T Global Connection Management. “With this agreement, AT&T customers soon will be able to seamlessly connect with talk, text and data while visiting Cuba.” We will announce commencement of wireless roaming availability and pricing for AT&T customers visiting Cuba at a later date.
Money transfer institutions and companies from 14 countries attend the first International Money Transfer Conferences (IMTC), which takes place this week in Havana.
The First Vice President of the Central Bank of Cuba, Irma Margarita Martinez, said that this event is part of the process of normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States.
IMTC Cuba 2016 conferences: ‘A global overview of remittances’, ‘Latin America and remittances’, ‘Regulation of the financial sector and the transfer companies from the United States’, and ‘Financial relation between United States and Cuba and its continental influence’.
Our main objective of this one-of-a-kind historic event is to explore remittances and its link to financial services in Cuba, as well as migrant services, looking at the past to understand the present & analyzing what the future will bring. We want to witness the transformation first hand, from the role of the banking sector, the emerging non-bank financial sector, the present and the future importance of remittances, the foreign exchange market to the card and mobile financial services developments in the island. We are grateful to Banco Central and Fincimex for their help and to our event manager.