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Democratic MP Jorida Tabaku, during her speech in the Assembly, expressed her support for the draft law on the recognition of pensions with Italy, but raised concerns about the pension reform in our country.
She stated that INSTAT and EUROSTAT data show that the reform has failed, as she added that a new reform is urgent.
"Dear Albanian citizens who live in Italy, after very long negotiations, today we have the opportunity to discuss the pension agreement that left Albania early, but whose work and contribution can be recognized today.
This is something that unites politics, an agreement that the parties will vote on because it is not related to anyone here, it is related to those who are outside this hall and unfortunately have left Albania.
First, I believe that the question naturally arises for everyone, who are the next countries with which the Albanian government will start to negotiate and where we are in the discussions with Greece, which is the country with the highest number of pensioners. Have political discussions advanced?
Second, what happened to the pension reform that was approved in 2014? There is a big question mark that goes beyond the numbers, which is related to leftist policies that this government abandoned to the streets and policies related to the dignified living of pensioners. There are 650,000 pensioners who are waiting for the government's mercy to increase their pensions.
The data is stubborn. INSTAT says that the risk of being poor in Albania has increased by 2% for the age over 65, while in 2022, pensioners with partial pensions are 48% of the total pensioners. Which means that one in two pensioners has a partial pension.
ISNTAT and EUROSTAT data indicate that 85% of pensioners, mainly those who live in the countryside, have their pension income lower than the minimum vital level that has been determined by EUROSTAT because we do not have an official level defined.
Expenditure in the sector related to direct payments in the field of pensions has decreased to the level of 7.3% of the gross domestic product in 2023, compared to 7.85 which was this indicator before the pandemic.
These are all policies that show that the pension system has failed. There are failed government policies as a measure to bring a layer of the population out of the poverty level.
I believe that policies that are beyond a governing mandate should be joint policies because they fundamentally affect the system, but are also sustainable over time.
The numbers today are dramatic and make the need for a pension reform urgent. Not only to ensure a decent income, but to address a sector that is underdeveloped, the third pillar", said Tabaku.
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