HAVANA, July 30 - Cuban lawmakers concluded a two-day session of the National Assembly with new operational details on how the island intends to open parts of its state-run economy to private actors amid a U.S. campaign of maximum pressure aimed at forcing economic change.
The assembly debated a range of measures that officials say are designed to sustain the economy as U.S. sanctions and an oil blockade strain supplies and business activity. Measures discussed include loosening restrictions on the right to use state-owned land, authorizing private firms to import fuel and medications, and permitting private companies to run tourist services.
Official assurances and limits
President Miguel Diaz-Canel addressed the Assembly and framed the package of reforms as a survival strategy rather than a concession to foreign pressure. He rejected the idea of sweeping privatization, saying the government will not undertake "predatory capitalism or carry out a massive privatization of national assets, as some fear." He added: "There will be no, and this must be made very clear, privatization of healthcare, science, culture, or services that are strategic to the nation."
That stance places a boundary around the reforms: officials are permitting private activity in selected areas while maintaining state control over sectors they consider strategic.
Energy sector adjustments
Officials described a cautious opening of the energy sector, tightly controlled for decades. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz said Cuba has authorized its first foreign investment venture to import and sell fuel, and that nearly 200 Cuban businesses have been granted permission to engage in wholesale fuel distribution on the island.
This shift comes while the United States maintains a severe oil blockade and has authorized U.S. fuel exports to Cuba's private businesses, a dual-track energy policy intended to limit state access to fuel while enabling private operators to obtain supplies.
Agriculture and tourism measures
Lawmakers approved a new agriculture law intended to simplify how rights to use state-owned land are granted. The framework is to apply to Cubans, foreign nationals, and private Cuban enterprises. Current land ownership is heavily weighted toward the state, with around 80% publicly owned and roughly 20% in private hands.
In tourism, officials said the sector has been severely weakened by the exit of international hotel chains following intensified sanctions and by flight cancellations linked to fuel shortages. The Assembly approved 10 measures aimed at attracting private investment, including eased rules for private tour operators, car rental firms and eco-tourism initiatives. Cuban officials reported that almost three-quarters of the nation's hotels are currently closed.
Separately, the government announced the creation of its first specially regulated Economic Development Zone to host a wholly foreign-owned company in the health tourism sector.
Restrictions eased for private participation in social sectors
On Tuesday preceding the Assembly, the government removed more than 40 restrictions on the private sector. Those changes are intended to allow private firms to participate in areas such as healthcare and education, sectors that have historically remained tightly controlled by the state.
One practical consequence of the easing is that private companies would be allowed to import medications, a change made more urgent by "severe shortages" at state-run pharmacies reported by officials.
Implementation timeline and caution
Officials repeatedly noted that adopting the package of reforms will take time and involve complex execution. Cuban lawmakers had already approved a package of 176 measures last month that, if implemented, would represent a substantial transformation of the socialist economic model. In the past, some announced reforms were not fully carried out or were reversed; government statements acknowledged that implementation is the critical next stage.
Prime Minister Marrero emphasized the gradual nature of expected outcomes: "The results will be achieved gradually," he said. "Starting now, the most important, and perhaps the most difficult, stage begins."
Context within current pressures
Officials repeatedly linked the reforms to the need to respond to a painful economic squeeze that includes an oil blockade imposed by the United States and a series of new U.S. sanctions. While the intended reforms open operational space for private actors in targeted sectors, officials also sought to reassure the public that key social services and strategically important activities will remain under state control.