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Private companies and cooperative enterprises in Cuba will be able to carry out import and export operations directly, provided they have the necessary authorization, according to the new economic measures approved this Thursday by the National Assembly of People's Power.
The decision is part of the package of economic transformations led by Miguel Díaz-Canel and presented by the regime as one of the widest-ranging reforms in recent years aimed at trying to reactivate an economy marked by scarcity, a decline in national production, and a lack of foreign currency.
Until now, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and cooperatives depended on state-owned intermediary companies to conduct foreign trade operations, a mechanism that has been widely criticized by private entrepreneurs due to the high costs, bureaucracy, and delays it caused.
Among the measures approved within the framework of foreign trade, the following stand out: the decentralization of export and import authority, the authorization for non-state economic actors to trade directly with international markets, and the adoption of the principle of "negative nomenclature," according to which everything will be allowed except for those activities that are expressly prohibited.
The reform also includes allowing the international commercialization of trademarks, patents, and other intangible assets developed by Cuban companies, a possibility that has so far faced severe limitations within the regulatory framework of the Island.
The announcement represents a significant change from the model applied in recent years. Although since 2020 the regime allowed private businesses to import and export products, these operations had to be carried out exclusively through authorized state entities, which acted as intermediaries and charged commissions for their services.
With the new regulations, the Government promises to eliminate some of these obstacles and grant greater autonomy to private economic actors. However, access will still be subject to state authorization processes, the details of which have yet to be officially disclosed.
The liberalization of foreign trade is part of a broader package of measures that includes increased powers for municipalities, new rules for foreign investment, an expansion of business autonomy, and changes in the operation of small and medium-sized enterprises (mipymes).
Despite the scale of the announcements, independent economists have previously warned that similar reforms have been limited by excessive state regulation and by the lack of a functional foreign exchange market that allows companies to operate normally.
For now, it remains to be seen how the authorizations will be implemented, which sectors will be excluded under the new negative nomenclature, and to what extent private companies will be able to directly manage contracts, payments, and international logistics without the intervention of state organizations.
The measure comes amid the worst economic crisis Cuba has faced in decades, characterized by the collapse of national production, prolonged blackouts, inflation, and an increasing emigration of Cubans abroad.
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