Cuba announced on Wednesday that it is opening up large parts of its economy to private business, just days after parliament approved a package of 176 measures favoring a “market economy,” and as the island nation faces crushing economic pressure from the United States under Donald Trump.
Managing gas stations, pharmacies, port facilities, waste collection, and renewable energy are among the sectors set to open up, sharply cutting the list of services private companies had previously been barred from offering.
Cuba’s private sector will now be allowed to operate in gasoline distribution, the sale of medicines and eyewear, vehicle imports, running nursing homes, and managing passenger and cargo terminals, as well as port facilities and marinas. It will also be allowed, under certain conditions, to operate oil facilities and mines.
According to Cuban authorities, the island already has more than 15,000 small and medium-sized businesses, a number that suggests company approvals are picking up pace.
In healthcare, though, hospital care remains “the state’s responsibility,” and medical and hospital services will continue to be provided “free to the Cuban people,” the government added.
Education also stays in the public sector, with a few exceptions for things like language classes or childcare.
Media, telecommunications, security, and other “strategic” sectors remain under state oversight.
On June 18, parliament approved a long list of 176 measures that called for opening up nearly the entire economy to private business, including agriculture and banking.
It marks a historic shift for the communist government and its economy, which has been mired in crisis amid months of pressure from the United States. The oil embargo imposed by President Donald Trump has pushed the Cuban economy to the brink of collapse, with shortages of food, fuel, drinking water, and medicine, and constant power outages.
