Title: Commending Lithuania for refusing to ratify the European Union's Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement with Cuba.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This resolution strongly commends Lithuania for refusing to ratify the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union (EU) and Cuba. It also calls on other EU members to follow Lithuania's footsteps and annul their ratification of the agreement.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 440 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 440

   Commending Lithuania for refusing to ratify the European Union's 
        Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement with Cuba.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 25, 2021

 Ms. Malliotakis (for herself, Mr. Gimenez, and Ms. Salazar) submitted 
   the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                            Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Commending Lithuania for refusing to ratify the European Union's 
        Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement with Cuba.

Whereas Lithuania and the United States have a three-decade-long special 
        relationship built on shared values, prevailing trust, and a fundamental 
        respect for democracy;
Whereas the United States-European Union relationship is, as stated by the 
        European Commission, built on ``values of human dignity, individual 
        rights and democratic principles . . .'';
Whereas the European Union signed the Political Dialogue and Cooperation 
        Agreement (PDCA) with the Government of Cuba in 2016, ``to consolidate 
        and strengthen links between the parties in the areas of political 
        dialogue, cooperation and trade, on the basis of mutual respect, 
        reciprocity, common interest and respect for their sovereignty'';
Whereas the Communist Government of Cuba has mobilized a regime of censorship, 
        detention, torture, and murder of political opponents, repression of 
        prodemocracy efforts, and unparalleled restrictions on movement and 
        emigration;
Whereas the latest wave of repression has targeted the free speech, artistic San 
        Isidro Movement, whose leader, Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara, is currently 
        isolated and under police control in a hospital in Havana;
Whereas cooperative agreements between Western states and the Government of Cuba 
        legitimize corruption, political repression, and a segregating and 
        suppressive economic system while undermining prodemocracy efforts on 
        the ground in Cuba, Venezuela, and elsewhere; and
Whereas Lithuania is the only European Union member state which has refused to 
        ratify the PDCA on account of its demerits: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) strongly commends Lithuania for standing with Cuba's 
        human rights activists by refusing to ratify the Political 
        Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA);
            (2) calls on other European Union members to follow in the 
        footsteps of Lithuania and annul their ratification of the PDCA 
        in the course of its ongoing provisional implementation;
            (3) takes pride in the special relationship shared by the 
        United States and Lithuania; and
            (4) looks forward to strengthening the United States-
        Lithuania relationship on a diplomatic, military, economic, and 
        humanitarian basis.
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