Related videos:
The Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) held an Extraordinary Plenary of its Central Committee on Wednesday to assess a package of economic and social transformations, amid excessive official media silence and during one of the worst crises the island has faced in decades.
The session, chaired by Miguel Díaz-Canel, began with a presentation by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, who framed the changes not as a structural reform but as an improvement of the current model: “The proposed economic and social transformations presented today will impact the enhancement of the management system of the Cuban economy.”
Marrero also warned that the process "can only be driven by our own efforts," thus dismissing any expectation of external support to pull the country out of collapse.
According to a report by official journalist Lázaro Manuel Alonso, the Communist Party is discussing "transcendental issues regarding the management of the economy, state enterprises, opportunities for non-state economic actors, Cubans with capital to invest, whether they reside inside or outside the country, agricultural management, energy, and the transformation of banking."
The Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee, Roberto Morales Ojeda, set the political framework for the measures before they were discussed: their goal is to "preserve the Revolution and its main achievements."
During the session, it was also confirmed that the initiatives “do not imply a deviation from the socialist project; they are an expression of the inherent logic of development in the historical period of its construction, guided by the ideas of Fidel and Raúl.”
The only acknowledgment that came close to a reformist language was from Marrero himself, who admitted that the proposals "conceive a recognition of market mechanisms as tools for the efficient allocation of resources," although he quickly clarified that this "does not in any way imply renouncing the social responsibility of the State."
The measures are structured around six axes: economic management system, municipal autonomy, business autonomy, agricultural recovery, foreign trade and foreign investment, and social policy.
Among the specific points are that municipalities can import and export without intermediaries, that state enterprises have more leeway to set salaries and retain foreign currency, and that Cuban residents abroad can invest on equal terms. It is also proposed to reduce the number of ministries from 27 to between 20 and 21.
The package was announced by Díaz-Canel on June 12 in statements to the press, and the regime accelerated its institutional validation: Plenary of the PCC this Wednesday and a special session of the National Assembly called for this Thursday.
The backdrop is devastating. The CEPAL projects a decline of 6.5% in Cuba's GDP in 2026, following a contraction of 3.8% in 2025, which would make Cuba the worst-performing economy in Latin America for the second consecutive year.
The economist Pedro Monreal warns of a possible decline of at least 15% if inflation, the shortage of foreign currency, and the energy crisis persist. In May, record electrical deficits were recorded, exceeding 2,000 MW, with 51% of the country without electricity simultaneously.
This is not the first time that Marrero has announced changes without any substantive reforms taking place: in October 2025, he relaunched a program to "correct distortions," and in January 2026, he spoke of a "war economy," urging people "not to fear changes."
In all cases, the official discourse has insisted that the adjustments are meant to "perfect" socialism, not abandon it.
Filed under: