Spain and EU accused of sustaining Cuban regime through financial support

A report by Foro Madrid, an initiative led by the Disenso Foundation, accuses Spain and the European Union of providing economic support to the Cuban regime through debt forgiveness, subsidies, and financial cooperation. The document, titled ‘Cuba: A Criminal Regime Supported from Abroad’, argues that these mechanisms use public resources to sustain the current administration in Havana despite Cuba’s severe economic crisis.

The report highlights that Cuba is one of Spain’s largest debtors in Latin America. According to parliamentary data cited in the report, Cuba’s debt to Spain reached approximately 1.97 billion euros by early 2020, representing nearly two-thirds of all debt owed by Latin American nations to Spain. The document details several instances of debt restructuring and forgiveness, including a 2015 operation where 110.8 million euros were forgiven and a 2016 operation involving 1.492 billion euros in forgiven debt. Additionally, it notes a July 2025 agreement involving a debt conversion program worth 375 million euros.

Foro Madrid calls on the Spanish government to shift its policy by ending financial support, preventing Cuban officials from using Spanish territory as a refuge, increasing scrutiny of money laundering, and reviewing business relations with the military conglomerate GAESA.