EU agrees to scrap Cuba sanctions

The European Union's foreign ministers have agreed to lift its diplomatic sanctions on Havana, which date back to 2003, allowing member states to renew high-level contacts with the Cuban regime, now headed by Raul Castro.

The deal was struck in the early hours of Friday (20 June), after the Czech Republic and Sweden - backed by Germany - dropped their opposition to the policy shift.

"The EU's passive policy is becoming an active policy," reads the agreement's final wording distri...