15th January 2024
A proposed second National Conference of Cuba’s Communist Party (PCC) that was to have taken place during the first quarter of 2024 has been postponed. The decision, which was endorsed at a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the PCC held in mid-December, reportedly reflected the need to concentrate on delivery, the “urgencies and priorities of the country,” and to accelerate decision making. The mid-December meeting principally focussed on the steps needed to encourage the better delivery of solutions in ailing sectors of the economy, and was notable for its stress on action rather than debate. Among the less publicised decisions taken was recognition of the need to establish “a close relationship between all economic actors based on the development of the country,” and the creation of “a superior contracting process” between state entities and suppliers to satisfy the demand for food.
The little reported plenary also agreed that fifteen new Economic and Social Policy Guidelines should be adopted in relation to Cuba’s National Economic and Social Development Plan 2030, largely relating to new priorities and updating. The new measures proposed include promoting the insertion of non-state companies into the national economy and their integration with state companies to improve economic and social outcomes; the creation of new financial mechanisms to stimulate exports, import substitution, and foreign investment; and the promotion of international cooperation directly with Cuba’s provinces. Official reporting also noted that the guidelines should in future seek to promote the de-dollarisation of the economy; developing an exchange market with an economically founded and stable exchange rate; and the introduction of measures aimed at reducing inflationary pressures “to stop the deterioration of the purchasing power of salaries and pensions.”
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Photo: via Granma
