The Cuban government has announced the release of 52 political prisoners, beginning Thursday. The agreement was announced after a meeting between Cuban leader Raul Castro, Spanish EU-representative Miguel Moratinos and the Cuban cardinal Jaime Ortega.

The 52 prisoners to be released were part of the 75 opponents and journalists who were arrested and put in jail during the so called Black Spring operation in 2003.

Despite the fact that his name is practically ignored in the governmental circles, the pending release is ultimately connected to the demands of one of the dissidents, Guillermo Fariñas. He is in a critical condition after a four- months hunger strike to enforce the release of 25 sick political prisoners.

Church authorities have hastened to vindicate the success of cardinal Ortega, sidelining the meaning of the hunger strike of Fariñas, the fundamental cause of the governmental decision. This shows that the Catholic church seems to forget that neither the church, nor the Spanish government is a "stone in the shoe" of the Cuban government.

What makes Castro act is the commotion surrounding the murder of dissident Zapata Tamayo in February, the hunger strike of Fariñas, the peace protests of the Ladies in White.

It is this vulnerable, fragmented and the scarce recurrence of the opposition that is seen as threatening to the political and social stability of the Cuban nation.

The moral weight and the ecclesiastical mediation have accelerated the liberation, but were caused by other interests.

The church is the only negotiator on the island who acted cautiously and with success. Susan Gratius of the Spanish think tank Fride considers this to be a very important moment:

'Castro had calculated it well to announce the liberation of the 52 prisoners, instead of solely 25. He wants to make an end to the problem and leave the opposition without arguments to continue their protest.'

The European Union has made the decision to normalise the relationship with Cuba dependent on the advancement of democratic reforms and enforcement of human rights.

The Foreign Ministry of the EU appointed Spanish Minister Moratinos to strengthen the dialogue with Cuba.

The Spanish government calls on the EU to respond to the announced release of political prisoners by moving away from this communal (EU) position.

Brussels should re-establish the commercial and political ties without any kind of restrictions, Moratinos said after the agreement was announced in Havana.

Economic pressure was also prevalent in the decision of Raul Castro to set the prisoners free. The embargo of the United States, the international economic crisis, and inefficient management of the economy have put Cuba in serious economic problems.

Today, more than ever, Havana feels the need to diversify its relation with the European Union.