Cuba will attend the Summit of Latin America and the European Union (EU) in Madrid under stress by the criticism he received from the 27 human rights situation and the persistence of the European policy of conditional cooperation democratic opening.

The death on 23 February the prisoner Orlando Zapata, after a hunger strike 85 days, resulted in a strong condemnation of the European Parliament and the government of Raul Castro accused the bloc allied with the U.S. in a smear campaign aimed at destabilizing to the communist island.

The questions raged with hunger strike held since February 24 dissident Guillermo Farinas, and the harassment of the Damas de Blanco-wives of 75 dissidents sentenced in 2003 - whom police prevented progress for three weeks with that every Sunday demanding the release of prisoners.

"We will not yield to blackmail ever, of any country or group of nations that are powerful, no matter what happens," said Raul Castro on 4 April, and called for marches and rallies against the policy of the EU and the U.S..

Spain, which holds the rotating presidency of the bloc, led the initiative that led to the EU in June 2008 to repeal the sanctions imposed on Cuba in 2003 after the jailing of 75 dissidents.
In 2008 the EU and Cuba reestablished cooperation and dialogue, and continued the approach in 2009, when he visited the island on European Development Commissioner, Karel De Gucht.

But criticism on human rights came to complicate the management undertook Spain to remove the EU Common Position, adopted in 1996 and holding the island together with the democratic advances.

Havana, which considers the policy an "intervention", says he is not willing to be challenged by European countries accused of being "lackeys" of Washington, and current state of the relationship is almost ruled out that Raul Castro attends summit Tuesday. At the previous conclave was number two, Jose Ramon Machado.

However, according to official figures, Cuba has in the EU in nine of its largest emitters of tourists and 23% of its trade-imports-mostly, but with a decreasing trend in recent years in favor of trade with America and Asia.