The government increased the country's defense budget by 108 million euros

2026-07-09 13:20:00, Ekonomi CNA

In the 2026 budget revisions, the Ministry of Defense budget has increased significantly compared to the initial planning, with the vast majority of additional funds directed towards the "Fighting Forces" program.

According to official data, the total funds of the Ministry of Defense have increased from about 58.95 billion lek to 69.23 billion lek. The increase amounts to 10.29 billion lek, or 17.4% more compared to the initial budget.

The largest increase in absolute value was recorded in the “Fighting Forces” program. The funding for this program increased from 31.39 billion lek to about 40.4 billion lek, with an additional amount of more than 9 billion lek.

In percentage terms, the budget for the Combat Forces has expanded by 28.7%. About 88% of the entire increase allocated to the Ministry of Defense has been focused precisely on this program, indicating that strengthening combat capabilities constitutes the main priority of the budget review.

After the changes, the “Fighting Forces” program represents about 58% of the entire budget of the Ministry of Defense. The increase in funds is expected to create more space for investments in equipment, armaments, technology, infrastructure and increased operational readiness.

The “Combat Support” program has also received additional funding. Its budget has increased from 11.16 billion lek to 12.03 billion lek, or by about 877 million lek. In relative terms, the increase is 7.9%.

The highest percentage increase was recorded in the “Planning, Management and Administration” program. Funds for this program were increased by 1.1 billion lek, reaching 2.62 billion lek, or 72.9% more than initially planned.

In the opposite direction has moved funding for military education. The budget of the “Military Education” program has been reduced from about 1.76 billion lek to 1 billion lek. The cut amounts to 754 million lek, or 42.9%. The cut for this item comes at a time when the fighting forces are in an emergency for specialists. Many equipment and machinery that are being purchased cannot be used because the current employees do not have sufficient knowledge.

Support for healthcare in the military has increased slightly with the budget changes, by 50 million lek, bringing the total fund to around 2.18 billion lek. Meanwhile, funds for social support for military personnel, at 5.2 billion lek, and those for civil emergencies, at 5.79 billion lek, have remained unchanged.

In this context, the budget review and the concentration of funds on the Combat Forces also constitute a political signal to allies that Albania is trying to accelerate the fulfillment of its commitments./ Monitor

The government increased the country's defense budget by 108 million euros