Speaking during a meeting with pensioners in the southern city of Berat as part of his “Projects of Albania” tour, Rama said the long-term plan marks a shift from years of limited fiscal capacity toward a more sustainable pension growth model.

The government head said pension increases had historically been constrained by structural weaknesses in the social security system and past economic challenges.

“From the very beginning, pensioners have been a priority for me and for us, but raising pensions has always been the most difficult task,” Rama said.

He added that previous fiscal constraints and accumulated debt had limited the government’s ability to deliver higher pensions without risking economic stability.

Rama said that wage increases in the public sector also contribute to pension growth through higher social security contributions.

“Every wage increase means higher contributions, and those contributions go directly to pensions,” he said.

Addressing criticism over public sector pay rises, including for lawmakers, Rama said such increases had a limited impact on overall pension levels.

He said Albania had spent years dealing with inherited debt and multiple crises, including the 2019 earthquake, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the energy price shock triggered by Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Despite these challenges, he said fiscal stabilisation and increased investment had created conditions for a structured pension reform plan.

“We now have a fully budget-backed system for pension increases,” Rama said.

He added that pensions would continue to rise annually, with the plan foreseeing a doubling in 2027, tripling in 2028, quadrupling in 2029 and reaching a fivefold increase by 2030.

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Speaking at a meeting of the ruling Socialist Party assembly, Rama said the economy had nearly tripled in size over the past decade.

“We inherited an economy of less than 10 billion euros in total GDP. Today, it stands at close to 27 billion euros. Our goal is to reach 35 billion euros by 2030,” he said.

Rama also highlighted growth in the tourism sector, contrasting current figures with what he described as modest and inflated estimates in the past.

He said the country now receives around 12 million visitors annually, while foreign direct investment has risen significantly.

“Foreign investment used to stand at 300 to 400 million euros per year. We have now exceeded 1.5 billion euros,” Rama said.

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Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, Belinda Balluku, announced Thursday that the legislation proposes a gradual annual increase of 1% in biofuel consumption starting in 2026.

The move targets a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, as transport is the country’s leading source of CO2 pollution.

The draft law also promotes the cultivation of energy crops and the use of diverse biomass sources, emphasizing sustainability and greenhouse gas emission reductions. It aligns Albania’s policies with the European Union’s climate package and renewable energy directives.

Balluku highlighted that the legislation includes fiscal incentives to encourage biofuel production and use, accompanied by regulatory measures for monitoring. The government expects these measures to not only support environmental goals but also generate increased state revenue.

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In a post on the social media a day after the second intergovernmental conference on Albania’s EU accession in Luxembourg, where the country opened Cluster 1, consisting of five negotiating chapters, the government head said Albania has ultimately taken its seat at the table of accession talks with the European Union.

Expressing pride at opening the benchmark cluster in the country’s European Union membership talks at the Intergovernmental Conference a day ago, Rama described the meeting as an unforgettable day and milestone event for Albania.

“Good morning, and with the pride of an unforgettable day, when Albania sat with dignity at the membership negotiation table with United Europe, with all the strength of the hard-won achievements of these years,” Rama wrote.

Rama said that the country took its seat in the table of accession talks as a deserved reward for the progress and achievements over the last few years.

He expressed confidence that “Albania will raise the national flag of Skanderbeg and Ismail Qemali in the courtyard of the European Union in Brussels,” symbolizing its full integration into the European family.

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Asked about a statement by the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic that the Western Balkans will probably have to wait for five years to join the European Union and that Ukraine will join the bloc before the countries in the region, PM Rama said “it is normal for the Serbian President and Serbia to be more pessimistic than us and Albania.”

“We are not Serbia; we are the Europe of the Balkans and Albania rightly wants to sit around the table of the European Union and we are working about this on daily basis,” Rama stated.

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Attending the presentation event were Mayor of Vlora Ermal Dredha, Councilor of the Puglia Region for economic development Alessandro Delli Noci, Consul General of Italy in Vlora Iva Palmieri, President of Vlora Regional Council Ervis Moçka and others.

Chairman of the Regional Council Moçka appreciated this plan as an important step towards sustainable economic development for the region of Vlora.

“The document “Vlora 2030″ offers a clear view of the opportunities and potentials of tourism and agriculture sectors, paving the way for development at all levels”, said Moçka.

While Mayor Dredha said that, “We see with confidence in the extraordinary possibilities of cooperation with the Region of Puglia. Besides the traditional friendship, we share the same interests in business, especially in tourism”.

Vlora is one of the tourist and most visited cities in Albania, especially during the summer. The coastal city is also the favorite area especially of Italian tourists, who have been numerous in recent years./p.s./