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The Cuban regime announced this Thursday that it will allow individuals to import goods for commercial purposes, a measure that breaks decades of restrictions and opens a new chapter for thousands of Cubans who until now could only carry out imports intended for personal or family use.
The initiative is part of a package of 176 economic and social transformations presented by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz during the Third Extraordinary Session of the National Assembly of People's Power (ANPP), held in Havana.
Until now, Cuban legislation restricted citizens to importing products "without commercial character," subjecting operations to limits on value and quantity. Import commercial activities were reserved for state-owned enterprises, cooperatives, and authorized small and medium-sized enterprises.
With the announced change, the government opens the possibility for individuals to legally participate in activities that have been carried out informally for years, especially through the so-called "mules" who transport goods from abroad for subsequent sale within Cuba.
The measure is particularly significant as it comes just two months after the implementation of the new Customs Decree-Law, which tightened regulations on the entry of goods into the country and expressly prohibited the importation of packages intended for third parties outside of personal luggage.
The transformations included in the so-called Axis 15 go further. The government also proposes allowing private companies and cooperatives to conduct foreign trade operations directly, subject to prior authorization from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment.
Additionally, the mandatory intermediation of state entities in certain import and export operations carried out by non-state economic actors will be eliminated, a recurring demand from the Cuban private sector.
Marrero presented the measures as a response to the serious economic situation the country is facing.
"We are facing the most complex context since the Special Period," stated the Prime Minister during his speech before the deputies.
Although the government has once again pointed to U.S. sanctions as one of the factors exacerbating the crisis, it has also recently acknowledged internal issues related to bureaucracy, delays in implementing reforms, and the limitations of the current economic model.
To justify the depth of the changes, Marrero referenced a phrase spoken by Fidel Castro during the economic crisis of the 1990s.
"Life, reality, the dramatic situation that the world is experiencing compels us to do what we would never have done otherwise," he recalled.
According to official data, the reform package was developed based on 390 proposals analyzed by the authorities. Of these, two-thirds were incorporated into the final document, to which the Political Bureau later added new recommendations.
The transformations received the backing of the Central Committee of the Communist Party during an extraordinary plenary session held on Wednesday and were presented this Thursday to the National Assembly for ratification.
The measures come at a particularly sensitive time for the Cuban economy, characterized by prolonged blackouts, shortages of food and medicine, persistent inflation, and a sustained decline in productive activity.
Despite the magnitude of the announcements, the government insists that the reforms do not represent a change in political direction.
"These actions do not represent a concession but rather the sovereign adaptation of development instruments to the specific circumstances of the country," Marrero stated.
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