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

Bill: 117-hres-440
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Malliotakis, Nicole [R-NY-11]
Introduced: 2021-05-25
Policy area: International Affairs
Latest action: action_date: 2021-05-28
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Europe, Energy, the Environment and Cyber.

Summaries:
action_date: 2021-05-25
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>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.</p>

tv_txt: IV 117th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 440 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 Alcántara, 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

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.