The extension was approved with 78 votes in favour and two against.

The Democratic Party has been boycotting parliament, demanding that lawmakers debate a package of legal amendments proposed by anti-government protesters.

During the session, parliament also passed a series of government-backed bills, including legislation on agricultural warehouse receipts, the agricultural census, chemicals management, aquaculture and the protection of agricultural land.

Lawmakers ratified a 2025 technical cooperation agreement between Albania and Germany, approved a loan agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for the rehabilitation of the Tirana-Durrës railway and construction of its link to Tirana International Airport, and ratified the convention establishing the European Civil Aviation Conference Bureau.

Parliament also adopted amendments to the law on books, approved resolutions assessing the work of several independent institutions, including the Central Election Commission, the Bank of Albania and the National Institute of Statistics, INSTAT.

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According to MP Tabaku, the miners currently benefit an average pension of around 25 thousand lekë up to around 40 thousand lekë. Upon receiving the status of miner, she noted, the pension is expected to get increased up to around 60 thousand lekë, as well as be accompanied by reimbursement of health expenses and other financial benefits, even for those who continue to be active in the profession.

According to her, the right to a supplementary pension has been the main reason for the miners’ protests for around a year and a half before the Parliament.

On his part, Deputy Minister of Economy and Innovation Enkelejd Musabelliu stated that the Albanian government has been careful over the years in its treatment of miners and that their status has already been addressed in the framework of the 2014 pension reform.

According to Musabelliu, this reform has created a supplementary scheme for the underground workers, which provides for retirement 10–12 years earlier compared to other professions, as well as higher benefits through additional contributions from employees and employers.

He explained that the supplementary scheme provides for a minimum of 12.5 years of work underground to benefit from the right to a pension and that, in addition to financial benefits, underground workers also enjoy a number of other benefits defined in sub-legal acts.

Musabelliu emphasized that, based on international legislation, the Albanian scheme for the treatment of difficult professions meets the necessary criteria and offers comparable social protection, even clearer and more transparent than that of other Western Balkan countries.

Parliamentary Committee Dismisses Initiative on “Miners’ Status”. /j.p/p.s./

Attending the hearing was Director of the National Center for Book and Reading Alda Bardhyli, Chairman of the Publishers Association of Albania Petrit Ymeri, publishers Bujar Hudhri, Arlinda Dudaj, etc.

Chairwoman of the committee Ina Zhupa asked the publishers to give their opinions on the proposed legal changes, but also make suggestions.

The committee has foreseen 4 hearings on the amendments to the book law: with publishers, translators, writers and finally booksellers, so that to understand the real situation of the book market.

On his part, Ymeri said that the law in force did not reflect the technological developments for digital books. Head of the Publishers Association praised the work done by the Ministry of Culture for Albania joining the Creative Europe network, as there are dozens of projects won since 2014 by Albanian publishers. Ymeri proposed that in the future the National Center for Book and Reading should work independently and not remain an affiliated part of the ministry. He also said that the relevant ministry has been missing a special executive institution for books and libraries over 12 years.

During the hearing, the publishers proposed the obligation for the National Council for Book and Reading should meet at least once a year because there have passed 3-4 years since it met for the last time.

Chairman of the Publishers Association also opposed the delivery of 5 copies of new publications to the National Library. According to him, 3 copies are enough and the National Library can buy them if it needs more copies.

Publisher Hudhri requested the restore of the premises of the Italian Institute of Culture to the National Library. He also emphasized the need for Albania to participate in important book fairs such as the one in Frankfurt, the damage that VAT has caused to books, and raised the problem of the lack of the ABC books for children of Albanian families in emigration. /j.p/p.s./

Deputy Interior Minister Elona Hoxha said the initiative is crucial for strengthening the penitentiary system and public trust in the rule of law.

The bill aims to consolidate oversight across the penal decision execution chain, including prisons, the Prison Police, and the Probation Service, with a focus on preventing illegal activity, increasing transparency, and protecting fundamental rights.

“The agency will carry out inspection, tracking, and investigative activities,” Hoxha said, adding that it would support, not replace, prosecutors.

Responding to opposition concerns about the agency encroaching on prosecutorial powers, Hoxha clarified: “Investigations remain the prosecutor’s responsibility. The agency will assist prosecutors, not take over their role.”

Democratic Party MP Saimir Korreshi raised concerns about corruption in prisons, to which Hoxha responded that the initiative would standardize complaint handling and reduce opportunities for abuse.

Opposition MP Oerd Bylykbashi warned that the agency’s powers could be misused, particularly in surveillance and data gathering, potentially violating human rights. In response, Ministry of Justice representative Abi Gjilani assured that the agency would only oversee those whose liberty had been restricted and would follow strict legal standards.

Committee Chairman Ulsi Manja emphasized that intelligence and surveillance activities are already tightly regulated and must be approved by a court order.

Opposition lawmaker Arjan Ndoja suggested that the agency’s head should be appointed by the prime minister rather than the justice minister.

The draft law was approved in principle, with further discussion planned for the next committee meeting.

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Minister of Defense Pirro Vengu said that this draft law is part of the package that aims to strengthen Albania’s regulatory framework in the field of the military industry, supply chains and control of transfers of dual-use military goods.

Minister Vengu also focused on the innovations of this draft law, such as the control of new technologies and non-physical transfers, the inclusion for the first time of software, cyber technologies, electronic transmissions and remote access, filling gaps in the existing law.

The minister added that this is the first draft law to be presented to the Assembly and that meets the final milestones of Chapter 30 on Foreign Policy, which, as he put it, “is intended to be the first chapter that we conclude as a Government within the framework of negotiations with the EU”.

For his part, rapporteur Ermal Pacaj, on behalf of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Public Administration, stated that the draft law is in accordance with domestic and EU legislation.

The draft law was approved by a majority of votes in favor. /e.i/j.p/p.s./

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Elisa Spiropali presented the content of the Board of Peace Charter while inviting the MPs to vote, emphasizing that there are already taken the opinions of several ministries for the draft law, such as the Ministry of Justice, Finance, the Ministry of Defense, Infrastructure and Energy, as well as the Ministry of the Interior, for implementation of this agreement.

“This partnership remains the main pillar of foreign policy and a guarantee for the Euro-Atlantic orientation of the country. From a legal and constitutional point of view, this draft law is in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Albania and with the law on international agreements. The Charter of the Board of Peace provides that no state is obliged to participate in missions without their consent and that national sovereignty remains intact”, said Spiropali.

While presenting some of the chapters that the Board of Peace Charter carries, Spiropali emphasized that, “States may be represented on the board by the head of state or the head of government. Each member state has a three-year mandate, subject to renewal by the chairman of the Peace Board”.

Regarding the draft law, she added that, “In this stage, the draft law does not entail additional costs for the state budget. The contributions will be voluntary and will be planned transparently in the budget of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, according to medium-term budgetary standards. The act has been drafted by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, based on information provided by the Albanian Embassy in Washington”.

After the approval of the draft law by the Committee for Europe and Foreign Affairs at 12:00, the plenary session of the Parliament is expected to resume for its discussion and approval. /gj.m/a.f/p.s./

Presenting a Normative Act to Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, Malaj said the amendments to the 2025 budget law aim to strengthen social support, improve the efficiency of public spending and maintain fiscal stability.

He said the Normative Act was adopted to reflect necessary adjustments to the budget, meeting the criteria of necessity, urgency and temporariness, while remaining subject to parliamentary approval.

Finance Minister underlined that the measures focus on supporting vulnerable groups, including families receiving social assistance, people with disabilities and their caregivers, as well as securing additional funding for the pension system. One key step involves transferring unused funds from budget institutions to a special pension support account at the Bank of Albania.

He said economic growth in 2025 is forecast at 3.9%, while public debt is expected to fall below 54% of gross domestic product, the lowest level since 2010. Tax, customs and social and health insurance revenues have reached 99.6% of the annual plan, reflecting fiscal stability, he added.

Under the normative act, total budget revenues and the 2025 deficit will remain unchanged at 61.6 billion leks, while savings will be redirected toward higher-performing programmes.

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Speaking to reporters, Berisha said the Committee’s chair had not provided member lawmakers with prosecution materials related to the case under review.

He said the committee meeting was suspended after six hours of debate without a decision being taken on the request.

Berisha said the opposition views the situation as an obstacle to the normal functioning of institutions and to the continuation of legal proceedings.

The main opposition DP strongly condemned what Berisha described as the unconstitutional concealment of evidence and the blocking of justice by Prime Minister Edi Rama, adding that those responsible would ultimately face legal consequences.

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During the session, opposition MPs proposed several specific amendments.

Democratic Party MP Igli Cara proposed establishing a contingency reserve of 5 billion lekë designated as financial support for exporters, to mitigate the adverse impacts of a weaker euro.

Opposition MPs also proposed increasing by 25% salaries for the health sector, with a total fund of 2 billion lekë, focusing mainly on rural areas.

Regarding social measures, there were proposed and increase of the baby bonus to compensate for the effects of depopulation and the setting of a minimum living wage of at least 200 euros to reduce the gap in income inequality.

In the agricultural sector, opposition MPs proposed tripling the subsidy fund from 6 to 16 million lekë, as well as increasing funds for the construction of the Elbasan bypass, where the 2026 budget should cover 20% of the project value.

On the other hand, the Socialist Party MP Erion Braçe said that the opposition’s proposals are not complete and they should observe the fiscal balance.

He also stressed the need to support agriculture after the damage caused by fires and floods. Braçe noted that the agricultural sector urgently needs compensation for losses and financial support to maintain production and jobs.

Chairperson of the Committee Milva Ekonomi stressed that for the time being there are no new sources to increase spending, therefore it is necessary to respect the revenue and expenditure ceilings.

On his part, Deputy Minister of Finance Endrit Yzeiri made a fiscal summary of the Albanian state, emphasizing that historically the collected revenues have been around 25–27% of the GDP.

He emphasized that in 2026 the revenues are expected to reach at around 30% of GDP and expenditures at around 32%, emphasizing that both are expected to increase gradually in the coming years, and that any increase in expenditures must respect the revenue ceilings.

The draft budget will be discussed article by article on Thursday in the plenary session. /j.p/p.s./

Under the co-chairmanship of Damian Gjiknuri and Oerd Bylykbashi, the Committee held its latest meeting to discuss the work plan for implementing the reform. Gjiknuri presented the schedule, which includes changes to a series of laws as part of the preparation of the new Electoral Code.

The draft programme prioritizes a bill on the financing of political parties, as well as work on the new electoral code covering key provisions such as definitions, principles for national and local elections, voter lists, candidate registration, electoral districts, election infrastructure, and the responsibilities of institutions in organizing elections.

“Every issue raised by ODIHR, as well as matters that parties bring to the table, will be discussed by this commission. Our goal is to have the draft approved and agreed upon within the mandate given by Parliament,” Gjiknuri said.

Co-chair Bylykbashi added that the commission aims to establish a clear framework for objectives, topics, and timelines, noting that deadlines are indicative and work may require more or less time.

The Committee also appointed six experts to support its work, three from the majority and three from the opposition. Discussions focused on past ODIHR recommendations, the number of experts, and diaspora voting, among other issues.

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