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The economist Pedro Monreal stepped forward this Tuesday to clarify the confusion that arose after the announcement of the Cuba Transformación project, highlighting three key points on his X account regarding the actual scope of the initiative.
Monreal indicated that the proposal will be published shortly and emphasized that it is not specifically aimed at the current Cuban government and, above all, that "its general framework is a model of social market economy and a democratic rule of law".
The clarification became necessary because Monday's announcement caused confusion. Omar Everleny Pérez Villanueva, one of the members of Cuba Transformación, is also part of the advisory group convened by Díaz-Canel on June 17 to seek answers to the economic crisis, a coincidence that led some to associate both projects.
However, the difference between the two is fundamental. While the ruling party's advisory group operates within the socialist framework of the regime, Cuba Transformación proposes a structural change that involves moving towards a political and economic system that is radically different from the current one.
The project brings together five Cuban economists —Mauricio De Miranda Parrondo, Pedro Monreal González, Ricardo Torres Pérez, Pavel Vidal Alejandro, and Pérez Villanueva— who have been working since March 2026 with the support of the Cuba Study Group and the Observatory on the Cuban Economy.
In the text published on Monday on Substack, Monreal was explicit: "Although we have become aware—like everyone else—of the economic measures recently announced by the Cuban government, the proposal we are developing does not represent a specific assessment of these decisions nor is it directly derived from them."
The group envisions the transformation in three phases: stabilization and emergency measures; productive and institutional recovery; and building a medium and long-term development strategy.
In this initial stage, the work focuses on the first phase, given the urgency of correcting macroeconomic imbalances and addressing the most pressing issues faced by the population.
The context in which the initiative arises is that of the worst economic crisis in Cuba in decades. The GDP has experienced a contraction of over 23% since 2019, with projections for further decline ranging between 7.2% and 15% by 2026, while the country suffers from prolonged blackouts, extreme shortages, and a massive migration exodus.
The regime responded to that crisis with the approval of 176 measures in the National Assembly, which include the authorization of private banking, the transformation of state-owned enterprises, and the opening to foreign investment. Monreal had termed these reforms as “delayed pragmatism” and “an outdated ploy”, warning that “the numbers don’t add up.”
It was precisely Díaz-Canel's call to critical economists—unprecedented in the recent history of the dictatorship and directly orchestrated from his office, without involving the prime minister or the minister of economy—that sowed confusion about the independent nature of Cuba Transformación.
Monreal emphasized that the group's goal is to provide "technical arguments that facilitate spaces for dialogue, understanding, and negotiation regarding Cuba's economic future," without intending to offer "a closed and definitive response." The full proposal will be published soon.
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