Cuba approves four new decree laws regarding economic and social transformations

According to Granma, four new decree laws were approved by the Council of State, in its ordinary session held this Wednesday, headed by the president of this body, Esteban Lazo Hernández, and with the participation of the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez.

The first of these regulatory provisions, the decree law “Amending decree laws 88 “On micro, small and medium-sized enterprises”, 89 “On non-agricultural cooperatives” and 90 “On the exercise of self-employment”” –presented by Lázara Mercedes López-Acea, president of the National Institute of Non-State Economic Actors– aims to eliminate restrictions, promote the development and diversity of the country's business system; in accordance with the economic and social transformations related to the management model of economic actors in terms of approval, classification, organization, operation and autonomy.

The decree law "On Mandatory Civil Liability Insurance for Motor Land Transport Vehicles", presented by Vladimir Regueiro Ale, Minister of Finance and Prices, takes into account the need to unify the civil liability regimes for created risk, derived from the driving of motor vehicles, establishing the obligation to subscribe to an insurance contract for every owner of a motor land transport vehicle that circulates on public roads and railways of the national territory, whether natural or legal persons, national or foreign, in accordance with the economic and social transformations.

Meanwhile, the decree law "On Bidding," presented by Joaquín Alonso Vázquez, Minister of Economy and Planning, aims to regulate bidding as a general method of selecting counterparties for the contracting of goods, services, works, management of spaces, productive capacities or any other form of use of State resources by economic actors, both state and non-state, within the framework of the socialist economy and the improvement of the Cuban economic and social model.

For its part, the decree law “Amendment to decree law 22 “Customs Tariff of the Republic of Cuba for Imports without Commercial Character””, commented on by the Minister of Finance and Prices, is also in line with the economic and social transformations approved with the purpose of authorizing the commercial importation of goods by natural persons in their capacity as passengers and by shipments, through non-commercial means, without this constituting a foreign trade activity.

The Council of State subsequently held an in-depth debate with a view to continuing to strengthen the popular-participatory movement "My Neighborhood for the Homeland" in each territory, in order to enhance popular participation, contribute to the collective solution of problems and contribute with unity to the priorities of the country and the needs of the local area from its three main fronts of work: Safe Neighborhood, Productive Neighborhood and Participatory Neighborhood.

Following the presentation by the Vice President of the National Assembly of People's Power, Ana María Mari Machado, on the progress of the implementation and impact of the aforementioned movement, enriched by information provided by governors, presidents of municipal assemblies, representatives of political, mass and social organizations, and the population; Esteban Lazo highlighted the relevance of this initiative in the neighborhood and the community that promotes popular participation and the mass movement as the essence of the Revolution, especially in the constituency and the people's council.

During the session, José Luis Toledo Santander, secretary of the Cuban legislature, presented the proposed actions to be taken by the municipal assemblies of People's Power for the implementation and fulfillment of the economic and social transformations.

Among other initiatives, the role of the people's council is strengthened in the evaluation of the issues with the greatest impact on the community, the promotion of the popular-participatory movement "My Neighborhood for the Homeland" and popular control as a complement to administrative control in the demarcation, an aspect also addressed in the session, especially in the results of the agreements to perfect and increase the exercise of control and popular participation.

In the ordinary session of the Council of State – which also included the participation of the directors of the parliamentary committees – the agreements adopted by this body in its previous meetings were checked.

(Photo: Cubadebate)