Europe considers cutting funds to Cuba in major 2026 budget shift
A pivotal recommendation by the Budget Committee of the European Parliament has proposed suspending EU funding to Cuba’s regime via the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement, redirecting those resources to more urgent and less controversial causes, such as support for Ukraine.
The motion, backed by the Conservatives and Reformists group and other political blocs, signals a significant change in Brussels’ approach to Havana.
If adopted into the EU’s 2026 budget, the policy would mark the first time in decades that European funds to Cuba are categorically placed under review, placing the country in an unprecedented position of diplomatic isolation. The recommendation still needs ratification by the Council of the European Union and other institutional steps before it becomes binding.
This development has broader global implications. By tying aid to human-rights performance and geopolitical alignment, Brussels is amplifying a shift seen across many Western capitals: aid is increasingly conditional. For Cuba, this means not just a potential financial loss, but a symbolic setback in its relations with Europe at a time when the island’s economy is under severe strain.
The move also reflects growing trans-Atlantic alignment on how overseas aid is used amid new global tensions. EU resources, once seen as flexible, have now become strategic tools in diplomacy, especially in the Ukraine-Russia rivalry and US-China competition. For Cuba, the decision is not just about money—it marks a possible turning point in how lesser-pressured states of the Global South may be treated when their international partnerships clash with Western strategic interests.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
