Koçiu emphasized that the government’s policies aim to support the inclusion of active unemployed individuals in the labour market rather than giving alms.

“Regarding the proposal for a minimum income of 200 euros, I am a firm believer that it is not a serious proposal, it is outdated, and it cannot be implemented arbitrarily, without proper research, evaluation, or a methodology that we all agree on,” Koçiu stated.

The Minister said that in 2013, the Democratic Party left unemployment rate at 16%, while the Socialist government tackled this phenomenon head on.

At the same time, according to her, the social welfare policies implemented by the socialist government in recent years “have been and remain primarily focused on boosting employment, increasing wages, and raising the minimum wage.”

“In 2013, the minimum wage was 22,000 lek, today it is double what you propose as the minimum income, 40,000 lek. The average monthly wage is 55% higher than the average monthly wage you left in 2013,” added Koçiu.

The Minister emphasized that the policies pursued by the socialist government are aimed at encouraging the unemployed, who are an active workforce, to integrate in the labour market rather than distorting the labour market.

“We have increased labour market participation to 64%, up from 52% in 2013. The employment rate, which was 44% in 2013, has now risen to 57%. In 2013, only 22% of poor families were covered by the economic aid scheme, while today 82.5% of poor families are covered by the economic aid scheme,” emphasized Koçiu.

Koçiu assured that the main goal is to enhance employment and integration programs for all those in need of work, who are an active labour force rather than provide alms.

“This is not our goal. Our goal is to integrate anyone who has the potential to work, to upskill and prepare them for the labour market, and to enable them to break the cycle of poverty if they are caught up in such a cycle,” said Koçiu.

“We are implementing the professional internship program, the on-the-job learning program. These are also programs aimed at upskilling young people and integrating them into the labor market. The Youth Guarantee program, which is being implemented with the support of the EU, is also a program aimed at integrating young people into the workforce,” said the minister.

Next, the Parliament Speaker put to a vote the amendment proposed by the Democratic Party for a minimum income of 200 euros, which was rejected with 72 votes against and 34 votes in favor. The Parliament approved Article 3 of the draft budget, according to the committee’s version. /j.p/sm/