Higher pension and living minimum? - The opposition amendments are overturned. Debates in the Assembly on the 2025 budget
The Assembly of Albania has discussed the draft budget for 2025 item by item. 24 hours before the plenary session, the opposition has submitted 55 amendments, which were mainly focused on increasing the indexation and bonus for pensioners, increasing the compensation fund for former owners, the reimbursement fund of medicines as well as determining the vital minimum.
Flagur Noka, DP MP:
"The lack of determining the vital minimum in our country affects the policies of a government to discriminate against the poor. According to the FAO, a person needs at least 4.4 dollars a day for basic food needs. According to the World Bank, the minimum poverty line is $6.7 per day. Albania has 0.6-0.7 dollars per capita in economic aid per capita. Do you understand the discrimination against this layer of government? The minimum living wage will be 200 euros, there will be no family below 200 euros, to show how the needy layers should be treated by a government and a power. We propose that within the month of March 2025 the government approves the vital minimum. Starting from April 1, payments for pensioners, invalids and families with economic assistance should not be below 20,000 ALL".
"Not a serious proposal at all, time has passed and it cannot be decided a priori, without any study and methodology. Social policies are focused on these layers. The policies we have are to encourage the unemployed who are an active force of the labor market and not to distort the market. Our main goal is to strengthen the employment programs and not to give alms, because we are creating a level of parasitism that is supported by alms from the state".
As for pensioners, an increase of the indexation fund by 6 times and the bonus by 2.5 times has been requested.
Gazmend Bardhi, DP MP:
"You had the opportunity for a 20-30 percent increase in order to gradually start the real increase in pensions from one year to the next. But you call this alms, because for you the money that goes to the citizens is called alms. You talked to us about the pensioners' bonus, without getting up and telling us how much you have predicted the bonus for pensioners in the 2025 budget, after the spring elections have passed, take it.
Belinda Balluku, Minister of Infrastructure and Energy:
"The pensioners are there and the difference between the pensioners who retired before March 2014 that you left with half pensions. Take two teachers, one who retired before 2014 and after 2014. If we keep our promises it shows from the support we have. If you have mocked pensioners over the years and continue to do so in opposition, this is the strangest act a force can do. You sold hotels to pay the bonus, while we have invested 100 million euros. The price of electricity will neither increase nor has it increased, but will decrease as Prime Minister Edi Rama has promised."
After the approval in the plenary session, the budget enters into force and starts its implementation in January 2025.
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