Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz announced that the Government will decentralize the approval of “all types of economic actors” to all municipalities across the country, as part of the transformations included in the Economic and Social Program for 2026.
The measure was announced during the latest session of the Council of Ministers, according to a report broadcasted by Cuban official television. The meeting was led by Miguel Díaz-Canel and conducted by Marrero at the Palace of the Revolution.
According to the statements made by the head of Government, in the first half of the year, responsibilities will be transferred to the territories to authorize economic actors, which includes both state and non-state initiatives.
He noted that progress is also being made on regulatory proposals to decentralize the approval of state-owned small and medium-sized enterprises at the municipal level, and that, in a later stage, there are plans to grant powers for the creation of companies from within the territories themselves.
During the meeting, Díaz-Canel urged the urgent implementation of transformations to the Cuban economic and social model.
Among the priorities, he mentioned business and municipal autonomy, restructuring of the state apparatus, local food production, changes to the energy matrix, boosting exports, and strengthening partnerships between the state and non-state sectors.
The president emphasized that municipalities must manage foreign direct investment, oversee closed currency schemes, and control the implementation of the government program in their areas.
According to what was said, the performance of the business system and the territories will be crucial for advancing macroeconomic stabilization and increasing foreign currency income.
The session also presented the update of the government program, which, following a public consultation process, was renamed the Economic and Social Program of the Government for 2026.
The Council of Ministers approved the new text, along with the action plan and the timeline for its implementation.
The Minister of Economy and Planning reported that the performance of the economy in January 2026 remained complex, with unsatisfactory results in several indicators.
Nevertheless, the authorities assured that protection is being maintained for over 178,000 families and nearly 64,000 mothers with three or more children, as well as actions in more than a thousand communities.
For his part, the Minister of Finance and Prices presented a preliminary report on the execution of the budget at the end of 2025 and January 2026. He indicated that several provinces recorded a surplus and that the fiscal deficit for January was lower than planned.
It was also proposed to allow municipalities to retain a percentage of the revenue surplus to strengthen territorial development accounts.
The Council of Ministers also reviewed modifications to Decree 33 of 2021 regarding strategic management of territorial development and assessed the performance of the Mariel Special Development Zone, presented as a space with the potential to facilitate transformations in economic policy and alliances between state and non-state sectors.
Authorities maintain that the decentralization of powers aims to energize the economy and give greater prominence to local territories, in a context marked by financial constraints, declining revenues, and structural difficulties that continue to impact the country's productive activity.
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