Albanian Parliament approves 2025 state budget 

The Albanian Parliament has approved the 2025 state budget, passing it article by article with 75 votes from the Socialist majority and 24 votes against from the Democratic opposition. Despite proposing 55 amendments, the opposition saw all its proposals rejected.

Why is this important: The 2025 budget is the largest in Albania’s history, totaling 825 billion lekë or approximately 8.2 billion Euros It aims to finance a wide range of new and ongoing projects, including major investments in road, port, and airport infrastructure. This ambitious plan underscores the government’s focus on economic development and modernization. All opposition amendments, most of which were submitted less than two days before the session, were brushed aside. 

Context: The opposition’s amendments focused on introducing a minimum living income of 200 euros, increasing pensions, and allocating more funding for marginalized groups such as former political prisoners, ex-property owners, and rural farmers. They also pushed for higher investments in education, healthcare, and local governance. However, the Socialist majority dismissed these proposals as unrealistic, arguing that the government’s social protection framework prioritizes training and employment opportunities over direct financial aid.

The approved budget outlines allocations for key ministries and institutions, with significant increases for infrastructure, healthcare, education, and defense:

• Key Budget Allocations for 2025:
• Ministry of Health: 80.7 billion lekë
• Ministry of Infrastructure: 74 billion lekë
• Ministry of Education: 62 billion lekë
• Ministry of Economy: 56 billion lekë
• Ministry of Defense: 52.6 billion lekë
• Ministry of the Interior: 31 billion lekë

Other major recipients include the Albanian Development Fund (22.5 billion lekë) and institutions like the Ministry of Justice (14.3 billion lekë) and Ministry of Agriculture (14.6 billion lekë).

Parliamentary adjustments: The Economy and Finance Committee introduced several amendments to the government’s initial proposal:

• Reserve Funds: Increased reserve for government emergencies (3 billion lekë) and election costs (2.5 billion lekë).
• Personnel increases: Administrative staff in regional councils increased from 10 to 13 employees.
• Institutional Increases: Additions for key institutions included:
• SPAK (Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime): +200 million lekë
• KQZ (Central Election Commission): +139 million lekë
• KLGJ (High Judicial Council): +500 million lekë
• RTSH (Public Broadcaster): +100 million lekë
• SHISH (State Intelligence Service): +50 million lekë

The parliamentary revisions amount to an additional 2.4 billion lekë, which will be offset by anticipated revenue increases.

Next steps:

Following parliamentary approval, the 2025 state budget now awaits the President’s decree to become law. Once enacted, it is expected to play an important role in shaping Albania’s development trajectory, balancing the Socialist Party’s ambitious projects with calls for greater social support.