Facing 2026 in a Different Way: A Call from the Cuban Government

To face 2026 in a different way—that was the call made by Political Bureau member and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz to the members of the Council of Ministers during its final meeting of the year, headed by First Secretary and President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez.

He warned that challenges similar to those of 2025 lie ahead, "but we have a regulatory basis for many issues that have been approved, unblocked, facilitated; several processes have been made more flexible, precisely to take advantage and find solutions to our own problems, to integrate all the country's economic actors."

"When we say that in 2026 we must do more, that we must find a different way to face it, it is because we have the material to do so," he emphasized before the highest executive body of the state.

Marrero Cruz affirmed that necessary decisions have been made "to be able to work in a different way and achieve important transformations that impact the country's economic results."

The Cuban Prime Minister spoke about "how we implement everything that has been approved in order to do more, how we identify the obstacles that must be eliminated, how we make things more flexible and seek for all those who produce in the country in one way or another to have the capacity and support to achieve significant increases in production."

He stated the need to work hard on identifying "what more we can do to increase the country's income, especially in foreign currency, and to see all the reserve of expenses that can be reduced."

Marrero Cruz referred particularly to "a task that is underway, but not at the speed we need, which is the review of all structures and staffing, from those of the territories to each of the bodies of the Central State Administration."

He spoke of the impact of the demographic dynamics on the country, "but we still keep thinking about things that are not in line with the times we are living in and the realities we are facing."

Regarding foreign investment, he pointed out that "a set of policies that facilitate, stimulate, and incentivize was approved, but we also have to ensure that everyone sees this as a potential for each of the organizations."

He emphasized the role of the territories and warned that six provinces do not plan to export, despite existing local potential. "We continue to see foreign investment and export as something for others. That must be transformed immediately," he indicated.

Marrero Cruz also underlined the importance of strengthening municipal work. To help in this regard, it has been decided, as a work system for the coming year, that all provinces will be distributed under the attention of a Vice Prime Minister, which entails, of course, attention to the municipalities. He noted that those requiring differentiated attention have been defined.

"We are going to get involved in the territories," he announced. "We have to strengthen the cadres, the structures, and when I say strengthen, it doesn't mean we have to complete them; no, we have to restructure them so that they resemble the municipalities, so that the strategies that have just been certified and approved are truly attended to and the potential of each territory is leveraged for development, to seek satisfaction for the population in each of those municipalities."

Regarding the interrelation between the state and non-state sectors, he considered that the most important thing is to add, participate, and share what each one has. "There are a number of new things that should contribute more in 2026; from now on we must work on them and advance in their implementation, with a lot of control to achieve superior results."

On the ongoing discussion of the Government Program to correct distortions and re-boost the economy, he reported that the process is in its final stage. There have been nearly 31,000 meetings, with some 260,000 interventions and around 58,300 proposals, "very interesting ones, which must be worked on one by one, and see what we incorporate into the Program."

He summarized that most are directed at the macroeconomic stabilization program, social policies, increasing income, national production, subsidies, inflation, and the Health and Education sectors. "We will make the most of all this; the orientations and indications are given, but each one has to take care of what is being proposed about their sector," he considered.

"We are now going to face arduous work to process everything, because this cannot remain as just another process. We must do it as quickly as possible to be able to reap the benefits in the implementation of the Program in search of solutions to the problems."

Therefore, he added, "this imposes on us, all of us, an updated work system to face the coming year. So much effort is not enough, so much dedication is not enough, so many long hours are not enough, if all that is not rewarded with results," he summarized.

ENERGY ASSURANCE FOR VITAL OBJECTIVES

In this working session, the members of the Council of Ministers approved a set of proposals from the Ministry of Energy and Mines regarding energy assurance for vital objectives of the national economy, amid the tense situation the country is experiencing.

While progress continues in the National Electro-energetic System recovery program—with the restoration of capacities in thermoelectric plants and distributed generation, as well as the construction of solar photovoltaic parks throughout the nation—it was decided to immediately protect economic objectives with real contributions, including those in agriculture and export.

Marrero Cruz noted that these proposals are aimed at "giving life back to economic activity, which has been mostly paralyzed by all the electro-energetic effects."

PLANS FOR CONTINUITY OF STUDIES

The Council of Ministers also approved the plans for continuity of study for ninth-grade graduates towards Technical-Professional Education and pre-university; the plan for admission to Higher Education for pre-university graduates and other prioritized sources; and the plan for continuity of studies for pre-university graduates who do not access Higher Education.

According to the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Jesús Otamendiz Campos, continuity of studies will be guaranteed for all ninth-grade graduates, and more than one option to continue studies in higher education will be offered to all pre-university education graduates.

President Díaz-Canel indicated evaluating a set of motivations and incentives that could be given from Higher Education so that young people attend it, which would guarantee that more pre-university students aspire to the University.

Furthermore, he said, there are young people who prefer to graduate as mid-level or higher-level technicians, and we must incentivize a significant part of them, through part-time courses, to also graduate from university careers.

The president also requested studying how to motivate and provide facilities to young people who, due to certain economic situations, have not entered Higher Education, so that they may do so through full-time or part-time courses, with some flexibilities, and have the possibility of graduating from university careers.

A LAW THAT IS EVERYONE'S RESPONSIBILITY

Additionally, a report from the National Commission of the Law on Food Sovereignty and Food and Nutritional Security was presented at the meeting. It acknowledges that agricultural productions are insufficient, limiting the availability and access to safe and nutritious food, as well as the link between productive programs and scientific centers.

According to Vice Prime Minister Jorge Luis Tapia Fonseca, "non-compliance in the production of eggs, pork, milk, and beef persists, and there is a lack of direction and concreteness in the programs for minor livestock, animal feed, and oilseeds."

He added that effective follow-up and control by the Contracting Committee in each territory is not achieved regarding the correct application of approved prices, as well as the chain of non-payments by all actors involved in the processes. Control over strategies to reduce losses and waste is scarce, he added.

In his evaluation, Tapia Fonseca referred to the still limited work of several ministries, institutes, provincial councils, and municipal administration, which are responsible for this important Law that has not yet achieved the expected results. Hence, he presented about twenty actions to be prioritized in the coming year, from all sectors of the country.

ACCOUNTABILITY REPORTS

The Council of Ministers approved the accountability report of Vice Prime Minister Inés María Chapman Waugh, whose work was recognized, as well as the opinion presented where several recommendations were made for future work.

This exercise was also carried out by the Governor of Pinar del Río, Eumelín González Sánchez, whose province's favorable work climate was valued, even with discreet advances in a territory with many potentials to exploit, especially in production.