EU Ombudsman To Investigate Refusal to Disclose the Agreement with Havana

EU Ombudsman To Investigate Refusal to Disclose the Agreement with Havana
DDC | Madrid | 20 de Julio de 2016 - 14:39 CEST.

The Ombudsman's Office of the European Union (EU) will investigate the
European External Action Service's (EEAS) decision not to disclose the
content of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement reached with
Havana, as reported in a letter by Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly.

"I have decided to open an investigation into the following allegation
and claim: that the EEAS wrongly decided not to disclose the document.
The EEAS should disclose the document," O'Reilly stated in her letter,
addressed to Erik Jennische, Director of the Latin America Program of
the organization Civil Rights Defenders, to which DIARIO DE CUBA has had
access.

In recent months Jennische had complained regarding the EEAS's refusal
to reveal the contents of the treaty reached with Havana in March to the
"general public."

In April the head of the EEAS's Division of Parliamentary Affairs,
Gabriele Visentin, responded to a request by Jennische that disclosure
"could undermine the process" and "damage relations between the EU and
Cuba."

The letter from the Ombudsman came as response to a complaint filed by
Jennische with the Ombudsman's Office.

"In order to decide whether the EEAS should be invited to give an
opinion regarding the complaint, as a first step in my inquiry I
concluded that it would be expedient to inspect the document," said
Ireland's O'Reilly.

"Therefore, I have informed the EEAS that my office will conduct an
inspection of the document. A copy of the inspection report will be sent
to you in due time," she added.

Last week EU diplomatic sources quoted by the Europa Press agency said
that the EU expected to sign the agreement with Havana before the end of
the year, in order to finally "normalize relations."

EU Foreign Affairs ministers planned to "provide their perspectives" on
the deal at a Monday meeting in Brussels, although there "was no talk
about revisiting the text," agreed to with the government under Raúl Castro.

The European Union Ombudsman is the party to whom citizens can turn to
seek redress for damages caused by mismanagement at the organization's
institutions or agencies.

Source: EU Ombudsman To Investigate Refusal to Disclose the Agreement
with Havana | Diario de Cuba -
http://www.diariodecuba.com/cuba/1469018359_23985.html