Havana, Cuba
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Friday announced greater freedoms for small businesses across the country, as the communist government takes steps to liberalize the island's economy in the face of a crippling US blockade.
In a speech broadcast on national television, Diaz-Canel said Cuba would open more sectors to private businesses and streamline the approval process for new ventures.
"For non-state forms of management, the list of prohibited activities will be limited so that their scope of operations is as broad as possible," the president said. "A process is underway... to approve all pending applications in the shortest time possible."
Under pressure from the oil blockade imposed by Washington in January, the Cuban government has unveiled a series of reforms aimed at opening up the economy.
Private businesses — which can employ up to 100 people — were authorized in 2021 and have become an increasingly important part of Cuba's economy. Since February, they have been permitted to import fuel, a sector previously controlled exclusively by the state.
As part of the new measures, the government will enable private businesses to invest in the economy on equal terms with foreign investors, after some of them recently left the country amid concerns over US sanctions.
Diaz-Canel said the government was also considering scrapping state intermediaries in import and export operations.
The president reiterated his commitment to decentralizing the economy and granting greater autonomy to state-owned enterprises, which account for roughly 80 percent of economic activity.
He also announced an overhaul of the state bureaucracy that would reduce the number of ministries and trim the the state workforce, a plan that requires parliamentary approval in July.
Diaz-Canel assured that the new reforms "will soon be discussed and approved very swiftly."
He also sought to project confidence despite the country's mounting economic difficulties.
"The country is not paralyzed; the country is facing this situation intelligently," the president said, denouncing what he described as a "maximum pressure" policy from Washington.
In addition to the oil blockade, the United States has imposed a range of sanctions on Cuba.
The measures have further aggravated the economic, social and energy crises that have gripped the island for years despite its decades-long struggle against a US embargo dating back to 1962.
lis-jb/mel/md/pnb
steelheart4124 steelheart4124
Not long ago I was reading about international banking options, and Andorra was mentioned quite often because of its stable financial system and strong reputation for private banking services. Opening an account there usually requires identity verification, proof of address, and documents confirming the source of funds, while some banks may also ask for an in-person meeting during the onboarding process. Many international clients consider Andorra for asset management and cross-border financial operations due to its secure banking environment. Overall, <a href="https://www.incluence.com/open-a-bank-account-in-andorra" rel="nofollow ugc">Open Bank Account Andorra</a> is frequently viewed as an attractive solution for international banking needs.
ZALIZKO MARHARYTA
These reforms are significant but should be read carefully. Opening sectors to private business is a meaningful shift, but the practical constraints — access to capital, import restrictions, licensing procedures, and the broader regulatory environment — often determine whether the policy translates into actual economic activity. Historically, Cuba has oscillated between liberalization and re-tightening, so businesses tend to be cautious about long-term investment without clearer guarantees. What's interesting is that the reforms seem driven more by necessity than ideology — the state sector simply can't absorb the workforce, and small private enterprise is filling a gap. There's a discussion on https://lyrabet.com.gr about how economies transition between models and the friction that creates — the point about the difference between policy change and economic change was well-made. Where do you see this heading?