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José Manuel Albares

Spain's foreign minister, who received Cuba's deputy prime minister in Madrid in June 2026.

Last refreshed: 1 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

Why is Spain shielding Cuba from EU sanctions?

Timeline for José Manuel Albares

#930 Jun

Received the Cuban deputy prime minister in Madrid

Cuba Dispatch: Parliament votes, EU Council does not
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Common Questions
Who is José Manuel Albares?
He is Spain's foreign minister, who kept Madrid engaged with Cuba in June 2026 while shielding Spanish hotel firms from US sanctions.Source: event
Why has Spain blocked EU sanctions on Cuba?
Spain, protecting Meliá and Iberostar, uses the Council of the EU's unanimity rule to brake any bloc-wide Cuba sanctions track.Source: event

Background

José Manuel Albares is Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation. In June 2026 he received Cuba's deputy prime minister Óscar Pérez-Oliva in Madrid, a meeting that signalled Spain's continued engagement with Havana even as the European Parliament voted 283-199 for Magnitsky-style sanctions on President Díaz-Canel .

Albares has positioned Spanish diplomacy around minimising the impact of US sanctions on Spanish companies in Cuba, notably the hotel groups Meliá and Iberostar. Because EU sanctions require unanimity in the Council of the EU, Spain's stance functions as an effective brake on any bloc-wide Cuba restrictive-measures track, placing Madrid's executive at odds with the sanctions appetite of the European Parliament.