President Bajram Begaj has decreed the law changing the pay scheme for judges and prosecutors, clearing the way for its immediate entry into force. According to institutions, this is the necessary step to unblock payments for magistrates, which have been suspended since August 1, 2026.
Decree on Law No. 95/2026
The Presidency’s decree concerns Law No. 95/2026, which introduces additions and amendments to Law No. 96/2016 “On the status of judges and prosecutors in the Republic of Albania.” With this act, the procedure moves to the stage that allows the immediate entry into force of the changes.
Earlier, the President had also given consent for the law’s immediate entry into force, following a request from Parliament. The latter had presented the intervention as urgent, arguing that payments for judges and prosecutors had been blocked.
Why the salaries were blocked
According to Parliament’s reasoning, the situation arose after a Constitutional Court decision repealed the provisions related to magistrates’ salaries. In this official version, the consequences began to be felt from August 1, 2026, when the payments could no longer be processed.
Under the same reasoning, without the new legal changes, the State Treasury had no basis to release salaries for judges and prosecutors.
What the legal change aims to do
According to institutions, the purpose of the new law is to unblock current payments and salary arrears dating back to August 1, 2026. This directly affects magistrates’ income and the financial functioning of the system.
The official argument has been that following the ordinary procedure would delay entry into force by around 15 to 35 days, further prolonging the deadlock over payments.
The President’s position
In his reasoning, the President stressed that constitutional debates over the level of salaries can be examined by other competent bodies. However, according to him, unblocking the situation in practical terms can only be done through the entry into force of the new law.
The Presidency presents this as an urgent measure linked to the principle of judicial independence. Along the same lines, the institution argues that the stability of judges’ and prosecutors’ income remains part of the guarantees for their independence.
With the law decreed, procedures are expected to begin for the unblocking of magistrates’ salaries.
The issue, however, remains sensitive on the constitutional level as well, since the official reasoning itself acknowledges that the debate over the salary formula has not been closed.