France wants to return to Cuba and improve their ninth place in the list of business partners of Cuba. French entrepreneurs see in the Law on Foreign Investment a great incentive to increase their presence in the Caribbean nation
Cuba changes and many inspired and eager to participate in the transformations look to the Caribbean nation. The adoption of the new Law on Foreign Investment, on March 29, by the Cuban Parliament, is one of the most tempting incentives many entrepreneurs eager found to enrich their lists of investments.
Given the thrust of many Latin American countries and elsewhere to make or grow their business in Cuba, France doesn’t want to be left behind, and want to increase itstrade relations with Cuba, which today are worth about $ 390 million annually. It also intends to further escalate in the list of trading partners for Cuba, in which today ranks ninth.
French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Laurent Fabius made a quick visit to Havana last Saturday, and shortly after his arrival in the Caribbean nation, he met with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla. A meeting in which, according to journalists who were present in the initial part of the talks, open to the press, common ideas prevailed as the interest in strengthening of economic and trade ties.
According to statements published in the official website of the French Foreign Ministry, Fabius seeks “to promote partnerships between companies of our two countries and support French companies wishing to develop projects or settle in Cuba.”
“I came to Cuba to give a new impetus to economic and trade exchanges. France is the ninth largest trading partner of Cuba in a variety of fields. But we can and must do more. It’s the reason why I came together with representatives of business, ‘ Fabius said in a meeting with the French community and diplomats in their embassy in Havana.
It is a visit that, although only lasted just a few hours, is of great importance if you consider that is the first stay ahead of the French diplomacy in Cuba, after 31 years.
During his short stay in Havana, Fabius attended the opening of an office of UBIFRANCE, a public facility designed to support French companies interested in entering the Cuban market.
According to French official sources, about 60 French firms are active in Cuba, either through partnerships with local authorities, through representative offices, branches or companies in the hands of Frenchmen installed in this country.
Among the large business groups installed in Cuba are Accor, Nouvelles Frontieres and Fram Voyages, in tourism; Bouygues, public works; and Total, in the area of energy. Also, Air France and Corsair airlines are operating flights between the two nations.
‘The representatives of French companies have talked to me about the expectations the law on foreign investment that has just been adopted represents. To these pioneers others will be added in the coming years. They may rely on the mobilization of our diplomatic and commercial network, “Laurent Fabius said.
Around 96,600 French visited the Caribbean nation in 2013 and the first quarter of this year there has been a slight increase, a trend that is expected to continue. To this the next International Tourism Fair of Cuba, scheduled to be held in May, where the guest of honor will be France, could contribute.
For more political dialogue
Laurent Fabius had not only the honor of being the first French foreign minister to set foot in Havana in 31 years, but was also the first European foreign minister who comes to this country since early March when Cuba accepted the proposal of the High representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, made on Feb 10, to start negotiations on normalizing relations.
Within the EU, France is one of the nations that has advocated to repeal the so-called Common Position, a unilateral policy imposed in 1996 by the European bloc to Cuba on a proposal of the then Spanish Prime Minister, José María Aznar, whose draft in English- Cuba denounced –they had received from Washington.
This policy limits the political and diplomatic relations between Brussels and Havana.
In that sense, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla and Laurent Fabius agreed in their meeting on Saturday on the importance of negotiation for a Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and Cuba, according to the website of the Cuban Foreign Ministry (www. cubaminrex.cu)
In 2008, when it occupied the presidency of the EU, France decided to drop the sanctions imposed on Cuba by the Common Position, which conditioned links to demands outside the relationships.
Cuba and the EU will hold the first round of negotiations on April 29 and 30 in Havana, according to Brussels. The first session will focus on “establishing procedures and a roadmap for negotiations.”
During his visit to Havana, Laurent Fabius expressed the hope to develop strong ties to ‘the political level. “This is part of a foreign policy by the government of Francois Hollande, poised to resume relations with Latin America and the Caribbean. This regional strategy, said Fabius, passes through a strengthening of ties with Cuba.
To Fabius, like to many world leaders, Havana’s leadership cannot be dismissed, especially when the goal is to get stronger in Latin America and the Caribbean.
In late January, Havana hosted the II Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which was a political and diplomatic success for Cuba by the high attendance, almost all of the Heads of State and Government attended the appointment, as well as the results achieved and the explicit recognition that was given to Havana by the member nations of CELAC for its leadership of the president pro tempore of the mechanism of political consultation.
Also in Havana peace talks between the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP) take place with the aim of ending a half century of war guerrilla in the Andean nation.
Despite the desire of increasing political ties with the Cuban government expressed by Fabius, the French foreign minister stated that “enhancing our political dialogue is not to pretend that we agree on everything.”
“Obviously different historical trajectories have to be linked to different sensibilities.” Among these issues, he mentioned international politics and political rights, although he spoke of Cuba’s advances in health and education, two strengths of the Cuban government.
So he said what he meant, pretending not to be aggressive.
Fabius considered there have been changes in Cuba, and mentioned two: the amendment of the Migration Act, which repealed the challenged procedure of the exit permit ( carte blanche ) , and was a major impact on the rights of citizens ; and the new Foreign Investment Law , which provides greater incentives to foreign capital .
So, he says, the position of the European Union on Cuba has evolved. And on Saturday in Havana he reminded that France is one of the countries that within the EU promotes rapprochement with Havana.
by JORGE LUIS RODRÍGUEZ GONZÁLEZ
