The government approves the 2025 budget funding measure for religious communities

2025-07-16 19:20:00, Politikë CNA

The government approves the 2025 budget funding measure for religious

The government today approved the determination of the funding amount from the 2025 budget for religious communities in the country.

The budget has been allocated to support: the Muslim Community of Albania, the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, the Catholic Church in Albania, and the Bektashi World Patriarchate.

DECISION ON DETERMINING THE FUNDING MEASURE IN THE 2025 BUDGET FOR RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE SIGNED AGREEMENTS WITH THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

In accordance with Article 100 of the Constitution, Articles 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of Law No. 10140, dated 15.5.2009, “On the financing, from the state budget, of religious communities that have signed agreements with the Council of Ministers”, and Law No. 115/2024, “On the 2025 budget”, as amended, upon the proposal of the Prime Minister, the Council of Ministers

DECIDED:

1. The funding measure of 113,000,000 (one hundred and thirteen million) lek from the 2025 budget, approved to financially support religious communities, is used as follows:

a) The Muslim Community of Albania benefits from the amount of 33,840,000 (thirty-three million eight hundred and forty thousand) lekë, divided into:

i. 17 040 000 (seventeen million and forty thousand) lekë for financing with half the minimum budget salary for 71 (seventy-one) administration employees;
ii. 16 800 000 (sixteen million and eight hundred thousand) lekë for financing with half the minimum budget salary for 70 (seventy) employees of preschool, pre-university and university education institutions.

b) The Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania benefits from the amount of 26,400,000 (twenty-six million four hundred thousand) lekë, divided into:

i. 13 200 000 (thirteen million two hundred thousand) lek for financing with half the minimum budget salary for 55 (fifty-five) administration employees;
ii. 13 200 000 (thirteen million two hundred thousand) lek for financing with half the minimum budget salary for 55 (fifty-five) employees of preschool, pre-university and university education institutions.

c) The Catholic Church in Albania benefits from the amount of 26,400,000 (twenty-six million four hundred thousand) lekë, divided into:

i. 9 600 000 (nine million six hundred thousand) lek for financing with half the minimum budget salary for 40 (forty) administration employees;
ii. 16 800 000 (sixteen million eight hundred thousand) lek for financing with half the minimum budget salary for 70 (seventy) employees of preschool, pre-university and university education institutions.

ç) The World Bektashi Patriarchate receives the amount of 26,360,000 (twenty-six million three hundred and sixty thousand) lekë, divided into:

i. 6,000,000 (six million) lekë for financing, up to half of the minimum budget salary for 25 (twenty-five) administration employees;
ii. 13,360,000 (thirteen million three hundred and sixty thousand) lekë, as a contribution to the construction of the Shtufi Tekke, Gjirokastër;
iii. 7,000,000 (seven million) lekë, due to its special position as the World Patriarchate, based in Tirana, and the extension of its activity abroad, which will be used to fully or partially cover the preventive requests submitted by it in the 2025 request, according to the financial documentation submitted.

2. The transfer of the fund, specified in point 1 of this decision, shall be made all at once, within July 2025.

3. The Ministry of Finance and the State Committee for Cults are charged with the implementation of this decision.

This decision enters into force immediately and is published in the "Official Gazette". /CNA