The investment will focus on improving school conditions and expanding opportunities for pupils and university students, the Agency for Media and Information (MIA) said on Sunday.

Key measures include an additional 1.1 billion leks for scholarships for students in need, 400 million leks for primary education infrastructure and 500 million leks for the “After School” programme, which will extend the school day until 5 p.m.

A further 100 million lek will be allocated to scientific research.

Through these investments, the government aims to provide greater support for families, improve learning conditions for children and expand opportunities for young people’s education and development.

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Presenting the draft budget, Malaj said the additional funding was intended to improve access to healthcare and strengthen patient support through increased spending on medicines, medical equipment and hospital infrastructure.

Key measures include an additional 1 billion leks for medicines and medical equipment to support hospitals and primary and secondary healthcare services, Malaj said.

The plan also provides for reimbursable prescriptions for 400,000 patients and the construction or rehabilitation of 20 hospitals across the country, he added.

“The funding aims to improve healthcare delivery and support citizens through the provision of medicines, medical equipment and investment in hospital infrastructure,” Malaj said.

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The Ministry said the additional funding is aimed at improving healthcare services, strengthening social protection programmes and expanding support for vulnerable households.

A key priority will be the continuation of wage increases for healthcare workers, following a salary adjustment that took effect in January 2026. The additional funding will also support further pay rises for emergency medical personnel nationwide, the ministry said.

The revised budget also includes funding to double disability benefits for children, a measure expected to benefit 10,240 children with disabilities.

In addition, the government will begin covering social security and health insurance contributions for 14,657 caregivers of people with disabilities, expanding social protection for families providing long-term care.

The additional allocation will also finance investment in healthcare infrastructure and medical equipment, with the aim of modernising hospitals and primary healthcare services and improving the quality of care across the country.

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Speaking in a meeting with pensioners, Rama said the funding follows what he described as a recent crisis in oncology services and is aimed at reinforcing hospital capacity and drug supply.

“Following the oncology crisis, we have focused on this area and, through a budget amendment, allocated 15 million euros specifically for oncology drugs,” Rama said, adding that additional health sector financing is also planned.

He said improvements in healthcare infrastructure must now be matched by higher service quality and better pharmaceutical provision.

Rama also said the government is preparing a three-year plan aimed at significantly improving the quality of healthcare services, adding that reforms will be implemented in cooperation with international partners.

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The Media and Information Agency (MIA) said revenue collection continued to follow an upward trend, supporting the financing of public policies and priority investments while helping maintain fiscal sustainability.

Government spending totalled 286.8 billion leks in January-May, an increase of 7.4% compared with the same period last year, MIA said.

“The increase in public expenditure reflects the government’s commitment to financing priority policies and improving services for citizens,” MIA said in a statement.

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Addressing an event with young people hired through state-backed schemes, the government head said the self-employment programme was delivering “notable results”.

“The self-employment programme has generated very encouraging data. We want to increase the number of young people who choose to become self-employed,” he said.

Rama added that the government’s support went beyond start-ups.

“This is not only about start-ups; it covers all types of initiatives. Young people who want to work for themselves and open a small business are a key focus of this support,” Rama said.

The Premier underlined that the next year’s budget would be the largest ever dedicated to boosting youth employment.

“It is a significant budget. It is the biggest allocation we have ever made for promoting youth employment. We have increased the amount dedicated to young people by 60%,” he said.

Rama urged young people to apply for the employment schemes, warning that “failure to use these funds would be unacceptable.”

“There is 60% more funding for youth employment programmes, but that also requires more applicants,” Rama said. “It would be a scandal if, due to a lack of applications, we failed to use all these funds, which we aim to triple over the next three years.”

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Addressing a regular parliament session earlier today, the government head highlighted that social protection will reach 257 billion lek, an increase of 11.6 billion lek from the previous year, benefiting pensioners, economically disadvantaged families, persons with disabilities, and new families via the baby bonus.

Rama stressed that small businesses will continue to pay no profit tax until 2029, reinforcing Albania’s support for small enterprises.

Businesses with up to 100,000 euros in revenue will pay neither VAT nor corporate tax, while those with up to 140,000 euros will remain exempt from corporate tax alone.

The Premier compared Albania’s small-business tax thresholds favorably with neighboring countries, citing North Macedonia’s VAT threshold of 16,000 euros.

Rama also reiterated his government’s commitment to increase the minimum wage to 500 euros from January 2026, with a long-term goal of reaching 700 euros by the end of the current term in office.

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Today’s agenda includes the 2026 state budget bill, which outlines total government spending of 886.7 billion lek or 31.9% of the country’s GDP, a rise of 55 billion lek from the previous year. Projected revenues for 2026 are estimated at 823.1 billion lek (29.6% of GDP), an increase of 52.9 billion lek compared to the revised 2025 forecast.

A central element of the proposed budget is the Pension Reform, set to begin in January 2026 and extend through 2030, with an expected financial impact of 10.4 billion lek in the first year.

The reform will also include an increase in the minimum wage, which is scheduled to rise by 10,000 lek, to 50,000 lek per month starting January 1, 2026. The government has set a goal of reaching 70,000 lek by the end of its term in office.

The minimum wage increase will benefit approximately 308,000 workers across both the public and private sectors. The medium-term plan projects the minimum wage will increase to 60,000 lek by 2028 and 70,000 lek by the end of the current government term. In addition, the budget includes differentiated salary increases and periodic wage indexing for more than 144,000 public sector employees.

The government forecasts a 4% economic growth for 2026, with the unemployment rate projected to remain stable at 8.5% and inflation to hold steady at 2.2%. The budget deficit is expected to decrease to 2.3% of GDP, while public debt is projected to decline to 53.6% of GDP.

Another key legislative item under discussion is the “Fiscal Peace” initiative, which aims to offer businesses the opportunity to correct past tax discrepancies with a 5% payment on adjustments, without facing additional penalties. The bill is designed to encourage settlement with the tax administration, offering a three-year agreement period for eligible taxpayers, including those with gross income exceeding 14 million lek.

Other proposed bills include amendments to the Tax Procedures Law, the VAT Law, the Income Tax Law, the Local Taxes Law, and the Real Estate Revaluation Law, among others.

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Deputy Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Enkeleda Muçaj told lawmakers at a parliamentary hearing on the state budget bill on Wednesday, said the country’s strategic infrastructure projects are progressing as planned, with many now nearing completion.

“Our goal is to ensure the full implementation of public investments and to foster regional development throughout next year,” she stated.

On the Qukës–Qafë Plloçë road, Muçaj noted that despite earlier technical and geological challenges, the project is now fully completed. Regarding the Korçë–Ersekë road, she explained that it is under warranty, with the contractor addressing remaining issues at no additional cost to the state budget.

She also referred to the Thumanë–Kashar highway as one of the key toll-based concession projects within the government’s strategy to modernize Albania’s main road network.

Responding to questions from lawmakers, Muçaj said the Milot–Balldren road is in the bidding review phase and expected to proceed to contract by June 2026.

For the Elbasan–Qafë Thanë segment, she said construction continues across all lots: the first phase has completed 5 km, while 3.84 km of the second lot are set to finish by April 2026. The Librazhd bypass has achieved over 50% physical progress.

Muçaj added that preparatory work is under way for the Rrogozhinë–Durrës road, while financing options for the Elbasan bypass are under discussion.

She clarified that the Milot–Balldren segment, being a concession project, is not reflected in the state budget, and that all sections of the Ionian Corridor are undergoing concession procedures.

“The improvement of road infrastructure remains both an economic and tourism priority, as better connectivity and new highways will boost transport and tourism flows across the country,” Muçaj underlined.

Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Besjan Kadiu said the 2026 state budget also allocates funding for the energy program, divided into three main areas: industry, natural resources, and energy.

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“This is the largest budget in the sector’s history, nearly three times higher than in 2012,” Salla told members of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture.

Agriculture Minister underlined that spending will focus on domestic investment, rural development, national support schemes and food safety, which will see an 80% rise.

The proposed budget is based on four priorities: sustainable agriculture and rural development, fisheries and the blue economy, food safety, and innovation and digitalisation.

Salla said the Rural Development Programme, worth 7.7 billion lek, will make up nearly half the Ministry of Agriculture’s budget, while the National Support Scheme will receive 5.2 billion lek in grants and direct payments to farmers and agritourism.

A new measure will reimburse 10% VAT on invoiced farm inputs, returning about 1.5 billion lek to farmers annually.

“These steps build a new approach for farmers – invoice and benefit,” Salla told lawmakers.

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