"It is, above all, about saving the Revolution": Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez

Images via Estudios Revolución

By Leticia Martínez Hernández, July 01, 2026, translated from the Spanish

"It is, above all, about saving the Revolution." Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, emphasized this point during the latest Council of Ministers meeting, where the roadmap for implementing the country’s approved economic and social transformations was outlined.

"We are facing a complex dilemma that we can still solve: how to give continuity to the process of socialist construction on a small Caribbean island that has suffered the longest blockade in the history of humanity by the most powerful country in the world," warned the Head of State.

He emphasized that we must confront this challenge without surrender, using intelligence, ideological steadfastness, responsibility, unity, courage, and boldness.

"That is what the generations that are defending the Revolution have to do," he said.

The president asserted that the transformations are aimed at saving the Revolution, regardless of what its enemies say. Today in the world there is no country that is being attacked more than Cuba, in the midst of a multidimensional war, and we have the responsibility, under those circumstances, not just to save it, but to continue to perfect our process of socialist construction, he said.

During the session, which was led by Political Bureau member and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, the President stated that "what this is about is, in the first place, to unleash the productive forces so that we build wealth and distribute it with social justice."

He said that anything capable of unleashing productive forces should be put into action right away, because the main goal of these changes is to get all economic players working with a new dynamic—one that’s different from what’s shown in the Economic Plan report.

Díaz-Canel emphasized the importance of approving measures that place all economic actors on equal terms. On this matter, he cautioned, "it is about the economic actors of socialist construction, of our Economic and Social Model. Therefore, they are the ones who are going to work paying taxes to the National Economic and Social Development Plan until 2030, the Government's Economic and Social Program for 2026 and the territorial and local development strategies."

The Head of State saw legal certainty as a key element. "The rules have to be clear for everything we are going to do, there has to be transparency to be able to control, from a popular and institutional point of view, everything we do."

The President reiterated the urgency of "explaining how each transformation defends socialist construction; how it will contribute to economic growth and social development; how it will allow us to grow in the wealth that we are going to distribute with social justice and improve the situation of those who are most vulnerable, and how each transformation will further strengthen respect for the rights, in our society, of all Cubans."

"We are not going to be able to implement the transformations properly if the population does not participate," he warned. "We haven’t exhausted the discussion; someone might suggest something better than what we’ve agreed on, and if something isn’t clear, we need to explain why and listen."

He said the country needs healthy debate, but to have meaningful discussions, we need to listen and build consensus, especially as we navigate a very complex process in an equally complex situation.

"This is what truly matters: living up to our time, making the most of the life we have, and rising to meet the historical moment," he said, referring to the approved transformations.

He called for applying "to the stance we have to assume, all the categories of Fidel's concept of Revolution. They are all here in what we have to do to defend these transformations. When I talk about defense, it’s not just about implementing strategies, but implementing them effectively so they deliver results," he concluded.

THE IMPLEMENTATION ROADMAP

During this working session, the members of the highest government body approved the proposal put forward by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz regarding the implementation of economic and social transformations that the country will undertake in the immediate future for its recovery.

He explained that after the sessions of the Plenary of the Central Committee of the Party and the National Assembly of People's Power, along with meetings with members of the National Association of Economists and Accountants of Cuba and other experts, the initial document on economic and social transformations was updated. This update was based on 673 proposals received, of which 79% were approved. Most of these, he noted, were aimed at enhancing the implementation process now underway.

Marrero Cruz noted that in the coming days, steps will be taken to grant new powers to socialist state enterprises, including giving the business system the authority to set wholesale and retail prices, restructuring the Superior Business Management Organizations, and enabling provincial governments and administrative councils to create, merge, dissolve, or liquidate local state enterprises. Other measures include making the approval and allocation of after-tax profits more flexible and granting the state business system the authority to approve salary scales, among other key actions.

For the non-state sector, he noted that key priorities in implementing the changes include approving pending MSMEs and non-agricultural cooperatives, streamlining procedures, timelines, and requirements for creating new economic actors, allowing the hiring of over one hundred workers, enabling individuals to own more than one private company, expanding the range of corporate structures they can adopt, and reducing the list of prohibited activities in this sector.

For agricultural recovery, he prioritized changing how land is managed and used by all economic players, as well as making marketing more flexible.

Marrero Cruz explained that the economic and social changes, outlined in 23 key areas addressing a variety of urgent issues, involve every agency and call for updates to work systems, ensuring more time and analysis are devoted to them.

He said that in this matter, the role we cadres have to play is crucial; "The greatest transformation has to be in our way of thinking."

The document with the 176 approved economic and social transformations is published on the Government's platform (www.soberania.gob.cu) and on the website of the Presidency of the Republic (www.presidencia.gob.cu).

During the debate, Minister of Justice Rosabel Gamón Verde explained that the approved changes will affect the legal system, prompting updates to some existing regulations and the creation of new ones. She emphasized that while the process will be swift, it will require full-time dedication.

She emphasized that efficiency and speed should not undermine the progress made in developing regulations, such as legality, democratization, public participation whenever feasible, and the quality of our legal standards.

The president of the National Assembly of People's Power, Esteban Lazo Hernández, stated that the time usually taken to develop legal norms will be greatly reduced, with certain steps currently in place being eliminated. He emphasized that this will be done while still respecting the Constitution, ensuring necessary consultations and participation, but making the process more efficient, he reiterated.

ITEMS ON THE AGENDA

At this Council of Ministers meeting, an analysis of the Cuban economy’s performance in the first half of the year was presented, highlighting the severe impact of the U.S. government’s blockade policy and the ongoing oil siege, which affects all areas of the nation’s life.

They reviewed the State Budget reports for the end of May and the estimates for the first half of the year, and approved the settlement of the 2025 Budget. This will be presented at the next session of the National Assembly of People's Power.

The green light was also given to the proposal for the early assignment of graduates of Higher Education and mid-level technicians who conclude their studies in 2027.

A report was also presented showing the results of efforts to detect, prevent, and care for minors handled by the Ministry of the Interior for committing acts considered crimes under the law and displaying harmful behaviors. This work is being intensified across the country through coordination between operational bodies, Central State Administration agencies, and social, mass, and political organizations.

This work was translated and shared via a License CC-BY-NC