
From the month of July, Albanian immigrants in Italy will benefit from the implementation of the agreement signed between our country and the Italian state on the recognition of pension contributions. The agreement in the field of social security, now finally ratified by both parties, has been published in the Official Gazette.
This agreement was signed in February of this year, between the Foreign Minister of Albania and that of Italy. After approval by the respective assemblies, this agreement will now become a reality and will be applied to old-age, disability, family pensions, as well as sickness, maternity and unemployment insurance.
With the entry into force of the agreement, Albanian immigrants who are on the verge of retirement can apply to the Social Insurance Institute in Italy. About 500 thousand Albanians who live and work in Italy, but also Italian citizens who have been settled in Albania for years, are expected to benefit from the mutual recognition of pensions.
This agreement makes it possible not to lose years of contributions and for citizens to benefit from pensions from both countries. A person who has 10 years of work in Albania and 15 years of work in Italy can benefit from a pension in Albania and a pension in Italy for those 15 years that he may have contributed there.
The Italian government has provided a fund of 136 million euros for the implementation of the recognition of pensions until 2032. Meanwhile, it is expected that Albania will finalize a similar agreement with many other countries where there is a presence of Albanian immigrants.