“Equalize retirement age faster” - EU: Not in 2056. Albania asks for more time to approximate the relevant Directive
The European Union wants Albania to accelerate the retirement age for men and women. The European Union has made public its position on the negotiations with Albania regarding Chapter 3 “Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth”. The document shows how aligned Albanian legislation is with that of the European Union regarding Chapter 3, as well as what other conditions our country must meet in order to close the negotiations for this chapter.
In the document, the EU emphasizes that Albania requests more time for the transposition of the Council Directive on the progressive implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women in matters of social security, specifically by 2056, with the aim of equalizing the retirement age between men and women. However, in order to fully approximate Albania's legislation and that of the European Union in social security, the latter requests that the equalization be accelerated, i.e. not done in 2056.
The EU considers that such a long transition period to align the retirement ages of men and women cannot be justified and that a shorter transition period, with faster increases in the retirement age of women, is preferable to align with EU legislation.
To decide on this matter, the European Union has requested more information from Albania regarding plans and projects for pension reform, a new plan for the time needed to approximate the retirement age, and an assessment of the impact that the increase in the retirement age will have on public finances and the labor market.
On the other hand, in other areas, such as taxation, the EU states that Albania needs to approximate its legislation to the acquis, including the Directive on the common system of value added tax. Regarding Albania's requests for certain exemptions from the EU acquis, the EU implies that any deviation from the EU VAT system in relation to the tax base may have an effect on the EU's own resources.
In most chapters, Albania has partial harmonisation with EU legislation.
However, the European Union has set several closing milestones, i.e. several other conditions that must be met by Albania to close the negotiations for Group Chapter 3. It turns out that more conditions have been set in the chapter on customs union than in any other chapter, followed by the chapter on taxation, social and employment policies, and scientific research.
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