Amendment to the 2026 Budget, Minister of Finance Petrit Malaj explains the content of the Normative Act

Today, at the meeting of the Council of Ministers, we approved the Normative Act for several changes to the 2026 Budget.
As a result of the positive performance of the Albanian economy during the first 5 months of this year, we were provided with the necessary space to finance several important policies, with the aim of:
to strengthen support for the most needy;
to increase investments in health;
to fulfill Albania's commitments in relation to NATO;
and to expand the Sovereign Guarantee not only to agriculture, but also to small and medium-sized enterprises, which operate in different sectors of the Albanian economy.
More specifically, through this act we have enabled:
The approaching indexation of pensions, which will now take place on July 1. This has been made possible with an additional fund of about 872 million lek. The government's plan is for indexation next year to be closer to April, as it has been in the past.
Also, through this normative act, we double the payment for children with disabilities, with a funding of 750 million lek. 10,720 children will benefit from this measure and this measure will enter into force on July 1, 2026, that is, starting tomorrow.
Also, through this act, we have thought about the caregivers of people with disabilities, for whom the state will cover social and health insurance payments, with a financial effect of about 2 billion lek.
On the other hand, the health sector will also be financed with additional funds through this normative act. We will allocate 1.5 billion lek additional funds for oncology drugs in hospital services in the country. So, an additional 15 million euros for oncology drugs.
Also, through this act, we will enable an increase in the salaries of emergency medical personnel, which will benefit doctors and hospital emergency service personnel.
On the other hand, an additional fund will be allocated for the payment of additional working hours for firefighters, from which 1,250 employees will be able to benefit.
At the same time, as I mentioned, we will also fulfill all our commitments to NATO.
Through this normative act, an additional 10.3 billion lek will be allocated to the defense sector, guaranteeing that defense financing reaches the level of 2.6% of Gross Domestic Product, in accordance with the objectives, but also with the needs of the Albanian army for the modernization and increase of its capacities.
Through this normative act, we will also increase the amount of the Sovereign Guarantee, from 3 billion lek to 5 billion lek, and not only will we increase the amount but, as I said, we will also expand the scope of coverage with sovereign guarantees, which will no longer be only for farmers, but will also be for small and medium-sized enterprises, which operate in different sectors of our economy.
These are just some of the measures that we have foreseen in this Normative Act, which also foresees a series of other policies, which the Ministers themselves will express their views on, but which naturally benefit all priority sectors of our economy.
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