Present and Future of Environmental Law in Cuba

Daimar Cánovas González, University of Havana Law SchoolFollow

Keywords

Cuba, Environmental Law, Cuban Legislation, Cuban Constitution

Abstract

The environmental legal framework in Cuba is based on constitutional article 75 and Law 81, of July 11, 1997, on the environment, a framework law on the matter, with a series of complementary provisions with the rank of Decree Law or Ministerial Resolution. The adoption of the new constitutional text in 2019 is followed by the updating of all environmental legislation that requires a new framework law, which fills the gaps in the current one and leads to more effective environmental management. The paper addresses some of the areas in which significant changes have occurred or should occur. In particular, it refers to the changes introduced by the approval of the new Natural Resources and Environment System Law, adopted by the National Assembly of People's Power in May 2022. In this sense, an assessment of the behavior of the different existing environmental management instruments in the country, assessing the changes that must occur in their implementation.