Cuba Pres. Pushes for 'Urgent' Changes 03/03 06:10

   

   HAVANA (AP) -- Cuban President Miguel Daz-Canel said Monday that his 
government should "immediately" focus on implementing urgent transformations to 
the island's economic and social model as oil reserves in the Caribbean country 
dwindle.

   The comments made during a meeting of the Council of Ministers come as Cuba 
feels the squeeze of a recent oil blockade coupled with a halt in oil shipments 
from Venezuela after the U.S. attacked the South American country in January.

   "We must focus, immediately, on implementing the urgent, most necessary 
transformations that must be made to the economic and social model," he was 
quoted as saying by state-owned media.

   Daz-Canel said the push to transform Cuba's economic and social model are 
tied to business and municipal autonomy and the resizing of the state 
apparatus, government and institutions, among other things, according to 
state-owned media.

   He called on municipalities to manage issues including foreign direct 
investment; economic partnerships between the state and non-state sectors; and 
investments with Cubans residing abroad, according to state-owned media.

   Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz said Cuba's priorities are focused on 
food production and changes to the island's power grid as severe outages and 
interruptions in fuel supply persist.

   The minister of energy and mines, Vicente de la O Levy, was quoted by state 
media as saying that progress in developing a transition strategy by 
municipalities is still slow despite the distribution of solar panels to 
doctors, teachers and children. He said municipalities need to have a 
sustainability strategy that relies on their own resources.

   Last month, Cuba implemented austere fuel-saving measures, including halting 
some public transportation and moving classes online.

   Last week, the U.S. Treasury Department slightly eased restrictions on the 
sale of Venezuelan oil to Cuba, but the island's energy and economic crisis is 
expected to persist.

   In addition to its energy woes, Cuba is struggling with a sharp increase in 
U.S. sanctions that have stripped the island of nearly $8 billion in revenue 
from March 2024 to February 2025, a loss that is nearly 50% higher compared 
with the previous period, according to government statistics.