MEP Barbara Bonte (PfE) has asked the European Commission whether it will open a formal investigation into Cuba's compliance with the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) conditions, citing a report documenting 1,260 political prisoners subjected to systematic torture, sexual violence and forced labour. If the Commission agrees that the abuses violate GSP rules, Bonte wants it to consider temporarily suspending Cuba's preferential market access under Article 19 of Regulation (EU) No 978/2012.
The written question, submitted on 8 June 2026, references a Prisoners Defenders report that describes routine practices including prolonged solitary confinement, sleep deprivation, forced postures, physical abuse and denial of medical care. Of the 1,260 political prisoners, 128 are women and 32 were arrested as minors. Bonte asks whether the Commission is aware of the report and whether it agrees that such treatment breaches the GSP conditions on human rights.
confirmation of awareness of the report, a legal assessment of whether the abuses violate GSP conditions, and a commitment to launch a formal investigation that could lead to temporary suspension of Cuba's trade preferences. The question signals a push for stronger EU leverage on human rights in trade policy, targeting a regime that benefits from reduced tariffs while allegedly using political prisoners as forced labour for export goods.
The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks. Its answer will indicate whether it views the reported abuses as sufficient grounds to trigger the GSP suspension mechanism, a step that would have significant implications for EU-Cuba trade relations and for the broader debate on linking trade preferences to human rights compliance.