EU, Cuba sign deal to normalise ties after years of tension

The European Union and Cuba have signed a deal to normalise relations, following years of tension spawned by dispute over human rights on the Caribbean island.

Federica Mogherini, the EU’s high secretary for foreign affairs, and Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez signed the deal in Havana on Friday, which allows cooperation between the EU and Cuba on projects ranging from environmental protection to the modernisation of Cuba’s tax-collection system.

"The agreement marks the beginning of a new era in our bilateral relations," Mogherini said, before heading to a meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro. "This is a historic step in our relationship."

Rodriguez said that the deal was the result of "a dynamic process that was not without complexity."

The agreement, the culmination of nearly two years of negotiations, comes nine days before Barack Obama becomes the first US president to visit Cuba in 88 years, in a visit that is partly meant to spur business ties between the two countries in the wake of their 2014 declaration of detent.

Cuba was previously the only country in Latin America without an international cooperation deal with the EU.

The EU slapped sanctions on Cuba and suspended cooperation in 2003 over a crackdown on journalists and activists. Since 1996, it officially used its foreign policy to encourage human rights advances in the country. That so-called "common position" was vehemently rejected by Cuba as interference in its domestic affairs.

"This accord marks the end of the common position," Mogherini said.

The European Parliament must still ratify the deal for it to take effect.