Hours After Parliament Approval, President Begaj Decrees New Salary Law for Judges and Prosecutors

Just hours after the Socialist majority voted with 84 votes for the bill on the salary formula for judges and prosecutors, the President of the Republic, Bajram Begaj, issued today the decree proclaiming Law No. 95/2026, “On some additions and changes to Law No. 96/2016, ‘On the status of judges and prosecutors in the Republic of Albania’”, paving the way for its immediate entry into force.

Earlier, the Head of State had given consent for the immediate entry into force of the law, following Parliament’s request, which had argued the urgency with the blocking of judges’ and prosecutors’ salaries.

According to Parliament’s argument, the annulment of the provisions on magistrates’ salaries by a Constitutional Court decision had meant that payments for judges and prosecutors could not be made since August 1, 2026.

Without the entry into force of the new legal changes, the State Treasury could not proceed with releasing salaries for magistrates.

The aim of the new law is to unblock payments for judges and prosecutors, including back pay from August 1, 2026, and payments going forward.

According to the official argument, the entry into force of the law through the ordinary procedure would have delayed the process by about 15 to 35 days. For this reason, the President gave consent for its immediate entry into force.

In his position, the President emphasizes that the constitutional arguments and counterarguments related to the salary measure can also be discussed in other competent instances. However, according to him, the legal unblocking of payments can only be done through the entry into force of the new law.

The President considers the decision on the immediate entry into force of the law a measure responding to an urgent need and directly linked to the principle of judicial independence.

According to the Presidency, guaranteeing the standard of living and income stability for judges and prosecutors is an important part of guaranteeing the independence of magistrates.

With the decree of the law, the procedure for unblocking magistrates’ salaries, which have been blocked since August 1, is expected to continue.