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Draft budget for 2026/ Rama: Key word, pensions

2025-11-07 11:15:00, Politikë CNA

The government programs in the 2026 budget, 823 billion lek in revenues, which are 6.8% higher than the initial 2025 budget and 6.8% more than the last normative act.

Prime Minister Edi Rama has stated that the 2026 draft budget will focus on pensions. He said that pensioners will not only receive their full year-end bonus this December, but will also receive a more extended month-to-month increase starting in January, based on the logic of the bonus above annual indexation.

Rama said that the urban pension with full years of work will go to 40 thousand new lek from 27,350 which is today. The partial urban pension will go to an average of 22 thousand new lek from 15,850 lek, which is today.

The rural pension will go to 18 thousand new lek from 11,500, which is today. The family pension will go to 18 thousand new lek from 11,400, which is today. While the disability pension will go to 30 thousand new lek from 20 thousand, which is today.

The Prime Minister emphasized that, from January 2026, pensions will increase every month, without annual indexation, and will continue normally year after year. The urban pension for full years of work will increase by 1,800 new lek, the partial urban pension will increase by 800 new lek. The rural pension will increase by 1,000 new lek. The family pension by 700 new lek. And the disability pension by 600 new lek.

"First, we submitted to the Albanian Parliament the draft budget for 2026, a draft budget where the main topic is pensions.

As we pledged in the elections, this mandate will be the mandate of annual pension increases. Our pensioners, in addition to receiving this December, the full year-end bonus, starting in January, will now have a more extended month-by-month increase, based on the logic of the bonus over annual indexation, of course. According to the categories, this moment will be a moment that will continue year after year and the pension will increase in line with and in accordance with the ambitious objectives set and announced during the electoral campaign.

Specifically, the urban pension with full years of work will go to 40 thousand new lek from 27,350 today. The partial urban pension will go to an average of 22 thousand new lek from 15,850 lek today.

The rural pension will go to 18 thousand new lek from 11,500, which is today. The family pension will go to 18 thousand new lek from 11,400, which is today. While the disability pension will go to 30 thousand new lek from 20 thousand, which is today. And to be specific, as for the coming year, from January 2026, the pensions will increase every month, as follows, and I repeat, this does not include annual indexation, which will be a different thing and will continue normally year after year. The urban pension in full years of work will increase by 1800 new lek; The partial urban pension will increase by 800 new lek. The rural pension will increase by 1000 new lek. The family pension by 700 new lek. And the disability pension by 600 new lek.

Now, in the coming years, the financial projection and agreed upon throughout the budgeting process will be with doubled figures for each category in 2027, tripled in 2028, quadrupled in 2029 and then quintupled in 2030, which means that the pledged value will be a value realized in respect of the 83 mandates that have been given to us, precisely by believing that we say what we do and do what we say," said Rama.

Rama further stated that from January 1, the minimum wage will increase for 307,850 employees registered in the state or private sector, who will receive 500 euros.

The new salary increase crosses the 2026 draft budget for 10,600 employees, service, sanitation, drivers, technicians, protocolists, archivists, warehouse workers, who will benefit from the increase in the minimum salary by 10 thousand new lek per month, while for public administration specialists it increases by 5 thousand new lek per month, for teachers it increases by 3 thousand new lek more per month, for the first time in the health sector there will be, in addition to annual indexation and let me emphasize that for the first time for all employees in the public sector, the practice of annual salary indexation based on inflation will be introduced, while in the citizenship sector, in addition to this indexation, the calculation of seniority in work will begin, which means in concrete terms that the average salary for general practitioners from 131,700 lek will go to 143,500 new lek per month.

There will also be a salary increase for doctors and nurses.

"The 2026 budget draft also includes a significant increase pledged during the election campaign process and implemented from January 1, 2026, when the minimum wage will increase for 307,850 employees registered in the state or private sector, who will receive 500 euros.

The increase in the minimum wage to 500 euros, which means by law, no one will have a salary lower than that in the Republic of Albania, will not be the last increase in the minimum wage, but only the first, because during the fourth mandate the minimum wage will reach, as we promised, 700 euros. And not only that, but as we promised, the government will subsidize for the first 9 months with 90 million euros, also the additional cost of insurance for employees in the private sector, who, I repeat, will have a minimum wage of 500 euros.

Also, the new salary increase crosses the 2026 draft budget for 10,600 employees, service, sanitation, drivers, technicians, protocolists, archivists, warehouse workers, who will benefit from the increase in the minimum salary by 10 thousand new lek per month, while for public administration specialists it increases by 5 thousand new lek per month, for teachers it increases by 3 thousand new lek more per month, for the first time in the health sector there will be, in addition to annual indexation and let me emphasize that for the first time for all employees in the public sector, the practice of annual salary indexation based on inflation will be introduced, while in the citizenship sector, in addition to this indexation, the calculation of seniority in work will begin, which means in concrete terms that the average salary for general practitioners from 131,700 lek will go to 143,500 new lek per month.

For doctors in hospitals, it will go from 174,000 lek to 186,000 new lek per month. For nurses, it will go from 87 thousand lek to 92,500 per month. And also very important for state police employees, in addition to indexation, there will be an increase for seniority, which for the lowest ranks translates into an average increase of 5 thousand new lek per month. In other words, for an employee with an average seniority of 15 years, according to ranks, salaries increase as follows:

For ordinary inspectors, from 80,500 new lek to 84,500 new lek, plus allowances for working conditions and food, which brings the average salary to 100 thousand new lek.

For deputy commissioners, the salary will increase to 101 thousand new lek, which with the allowance for working conditions and also for food goes to 116 thousand new lek;

For commissioners, the salary will increase to 110,600 new lek and for the allowance for working conditions and plus food it will go to 125,600 new lek;

And for ordinary leaders, the salary will go to 141,450 new lek and also with the supplement it will go to 156,450 new lek. It is another real increase, because these are us, this is me, this is the Socialist Party of Albania”, said Rama./ CNA