Developments in Cuba and prospects of relations with Europe
01/10/2008
On 22-23 September, FRIDE and CIDOB held the seminar “Euro-Cuban Academic Perspectives on Economy, Development and Cooperation” in Madrid. The event was organised with the collaboration of the Centre of Studies on Cuban Economy (CEEC) at the University of Havana, and sponsored by the Spanish Agency on International Cooperation (AECID).
Milagros Martínez, advisor for the Universidad de La Habana; Pierre Schori, Director General of FRIDE and Francesc Bayo, Researcher at CIDOB.
During the meeting, a group of Cuban and European experts discussed issues of mutual interest with the objective of enhancing collaboration on four thematic areas. In the first place, experts analysed the evolution of the Cuban economy and its inclusion in the international economy, emphasising the adjustments carried out in the past two decades, the structural challenges to sustainable development and the reform options currently under debate.
Secondly, experts addressed the evolution and the adaptation of social policies, as well as the different approaches to respond to the challenges of declining living standards and social cohesion. In the third session, the debate focussed on responses to external clashes and the transformation of Cuba’s foreign economic relations, and in particular the evolution and prospects of Europe’s role in this context. Fourth and finally, different experiences of Cuba’s academic cooperation with several European countries were presented, and experts debated the possibilities for progress in this and other areas.
Finally, it is worth noting that the seminar offered a framework in which to exchange positions and perspectives in a transparent, amicable and mutually respectful environment. In this sense, beyond the debates held, the meeting contributed to rebuilding the confidence between the parties and promoting academic cooperation between Cuba and Europe.
