On Thursday Cuba’s Council of State approved three new decree-laws aimed at diversifying the business system, regulating bidding processes for the procurement of goods and services, and regulating the commercial importation of merchandise.
These regulations are part of a package of 176 economic reforms announced by state media, with the goal of partially liberalizing and decentralizing the economy, while strengthening the private sector as a key factor.
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The first regulation is a decree-law amending the texts on micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, non-agricultural cooperatives, and self-employment. This regulation is expected to eliminate restrictions and promote the development and diversity of the country’s business system.
This was explained by the president of the National Institute of Non-State Economic Actors, Lázara Mercedes López-Acea, who noted that the amendment aligns with the economic and social transformations related to the management model of economic actors in terms of approval, classification, organization, operation, and autonomy. The measures expand the possibility for private companies to exceed the current limit of 100 employees and include new business models such as hotel management, car rental, and passenger transport services.
The Minister of Economy and Planning, Joaquín Alonso, presented the new decree-law “On Bidding Processes,” which aims to regulate this method as the general form of selecting counterparties for the contracting of goods, services, works, and the management of spaces and production capacities by state and private actors.
Alonso also referred to the amendment to decree-law 22, “Customs Tariff,” which aims to authorize the commercial importation of goods by individuals traveling as passengers and by shipments, without this constituting a foreign trade activity.
A unos cinco kilómetros de Santa Clara, en la Autopista Nacional, ya presta servicios la primera estación de carga rápida y ultrarrápida del país, la cual beneficia a los vehículos eléctricos que transiten por esa arteria.
https://t.co/ovgMXVpUox pic.twitter.com/VrierVsSYl
— Cubadebate (@cubadebatecu) August 11, 2026
The text reads, “About five kilometers from Santa Clara, on the National Highway, the country’s first fast and ultra-fast charging station is already providing services, which benefits electric vehicles traveling along that artery.”
These reforms seek to address a serious crisis facing the country, which has seen the Cuban economy contract by more than 15% between 2020 and 2025. US pressure, through an oil embargo initiated last January and new secondary sanctions, has exacerbated the situation.
In 2026, the unilateral coercive measures of the Donald Trump Administration, coupled with the January 29 executive order threatening tariffs on those who supply oil to the island, have led to shortages and a severe energy crisis.
During the ordinary session, with the participation of parliamentary committee directors, the strengthening of the role of the People’s Council in evaluating issues with the greatest impact on the community was discussed. Also addressed was the promotion of the popular-participatory movement “My Neighborhood for the Homeland” and popular oversight as a complement to verifying agreements adopted in previous meetings.
100 years of Fidel Castro.
A century after his birth, Fidel Castro remains a defining figure in Cuba’s history and in the political struggles that shaped Latin America and the Global South.
From the Cuban Revolution to his decades of leadership, his legacy continues to spark… pic.twitter.com/PYuEBsbLSE
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) August 13, 2026
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