Democratic Party MP Jorida Tabaku has raised her voice about the severe economic situation in Albania, describing corruption as a “hidden tax” that is making life increasingly difficult for families and honest businesses every day.
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According to her, while citizens work more and earn less, the current government is acting in favor of a narrow group close to it.
She stressed that evidence of corruption emerges from justice case files and reports from European partners. When tenders are manipulated or contracts are awarded to predetermined individuals, the consequences are immediately reflected in high prices, the lack of free competition, and shrinking budgets for healthcare, education, and pensions.
Referring to INSTAT, she noted that in December 2025 prices were 20.9 percent higher compared to December 2020, while for food and non-alcoholic beverages this increase reached 35.6 percent.
Another concern remains the decline in production and exports. Total exports fell from 430 billion lekë in 2023 to 369 billion in 2024 and then to 346 billion lekë in 2025, suffering a loss of about one fifth of their value within two years.
In 2025, exports covered only 39 percent of imports, while the trade deficit reached 541 billion lekë. The textile and footwear sector has been hit hard, with a decline of 22.4 billion lekë in exports over two years, leading to the loss of thousands of jobs, especially for women in areas with few employment alternatives.
According to the Democratic MP, another factor harming exporters is the weakening of the euro. The fall in the exchange rate from 100 to around 91 lekë has reduced the domestic currency revenues of companies by approximately 10 percent, while internal costs remain unchanged. In parallel, SPAK case files testify to the infiltration of dirty money and informality into the economy, especially in the construction sector.
She also brought attention to the case of the establishment of the company “Guna Tactical” for the production of military uniforms through the state structure KAYO. At first the state held 51 percent of the shares, but in May 2026 this share fell to 49 percent, leaving control to the private partner without transparency and without giving any chance of competition to existing Albanian factories.
In closing, Tabaku called for the publication of all KAYO contracts, an independent audit of state assets, the ensuring of free competition, as well as a concrete support package for the processing industry that includes fast VAT reimbursement and technology financing.
Full speech:
For years Albanians have been working more and more to secure less and less. Workers extend their hours, find second jobs, and sacrifice time with their families. Business owners work longer, risk their savings, take out loans, and face monthly expenses for energy, wages, taxes, and uncertainty. No Albanian family asks for luxury. They ask that honest work be enough for a decent life; that a salary cover food, rent, children’s education, and an unexpected medical expense. But facing this Albania that struggles, we have a government that increasingly seems to serve a small minority.
On one side stands the worker who counts every lekë at the end of the month. On the other side we have investigative case files, suspicious tenders, pre-assigned contracts, and companies linked to the government. These are no longer accusations that can be dismissed as opposition rhetoric. They are facts coming from justice institutions and European partners.
Corruption is not simply an envelope that goes to a hidden pocket and has nothing to do with our lives. Corruption is a hidden tax. When a tender is inflated, the difference is paid by the citizens. When a contract is awarded to a friend instead of the best company, the honest entrepreneur loses. When a market is controlled by a few hands, the price is no longer determined by competition but by the interest of the monopolist. When public funds go to those close to power, they are missing for pensions, schools, healthcare, and support for industry. That is why corruption is not something far from the family table. It sits at that table every day and takes its share from the income of every Albanian.
The numbers prove this pressure. According to INSTAT, in December 2025 the general price level was 20.9% higher than in December 2020. For food and non-alcoholic beverages, the increase was 35.6 percent. So even when annual inflation slows, prices do not come back down. They stay at the new level, while families continue to pay the difference every day. And when food accounts for about one-third of Albanian family spending, its increase is not just statistics. It is the bread, milk, meat, vegetables, and the basket that is shrinking.
At the same time, Albania is losing ground in production and exports. Total exports fell from about 430 billion lekë in 2023 to 369 billion in 2024 and then to 346 billion lekë in 2025. Within two years, the country lost nearly one-fifth of the value of its goods exports. In 2025, exports covered only 39 percent of imports, down from 50.5 percent in 2023. The trade deficit reached 541 billion lekë. This is not the model of an economy that produces more. It is the model of an economy that imports more and more and finds it increasingly difficult to compete abroad.
The clearest example is the textile and leather industry. Exports of this group fell from 126.3 billion lekë in 2023 to about 105.1 billion in 2024 and then to 103.9 billion lekë in 2025. In two years, this sector lost about 22.4 billion lekë in exports, or nearly 18 percent of their value. Even in August of this year, textiles and leather had the most negative impact on the annual change in exports. After agriculture, another sector that provides jobs, production, and exports is coming under great pressure.
This is not simply about the balance sheets of individual companies. We are talking about tens of thousands of jobs, mostly women and families in areas where employment alternatives are limited. There were around 75,000 employees at the end of 2023 and the loss of 7–8,000 jobs within the following year. Employment data showed that this contraction continued during 2025. While in the second quarter of 2026 manufacturing output grew, employment in industry still declined by 2 percent. This means that even when a little more is produced, more jobs are not necessarily being created.
One of the main blows for exporters has come from the devaluation of the euro. A company that collects one million euros received 100 million lekë when the exchange rate was 100 lekë per euro. With a rate around 91 lekë, its revenue drops to about 91 million lekë, while wages, energy, insurance, and some raw materials continue to be paid in lekë. The difference is not a number on a screen. It is the margin from which employees are paid, investments are made, and the factory is kept open.
While we speak, SPA case files have proven the penetration of dirty money into the economy. In practice, Albania continues to face money laundering, informality, large cash transactions, and markets where transparency about the source of financing remains weak. It is not enough to say “it is tourism” and close the debate. There must be control over the source of capital, beneficial owners, the construction sector, and every flow that is not justified by the formal economy.
But while existing industry demands markets and support, the government creates new structures with partners it has chosen. In May 2025, the Council of Ministers authorized KAYO to negotiate with a private company the creation of a company for the production of military uniforms. The decision provided for the use of at least 20,000 square meters of public property, a minimum private investment of 15 million euros, 400 jobs, and the supply of the Armed Forces and other security structures.
The company “Guna Tactical” was established in August 2025. Initially KAYO owned 51 percent and the private partner 49 percent. In May 2026, KAYO sold 2 percent of the shares and the ratio was reversed: the private partner took 51 percent, while the state remained with 49 percent. The question is: why? How was the private partner selected? How was the public property valued? What contracts were guaranteed to the company? Why did the state go from majority to minority? Was the Albanian textile industry, the hundreds of existing factories and companies with experience, given the opportunity to compete or become part of this project?
We are not against domestic production of uniforms. On the contrary, we want uniforms, equipment, and every product that can be produced in Albania to carry the “Made in Albania” stamp. But “Made in Albania” should not turn into “Made for the friends of the government.” Domestic production is built with competition, technology, standards, and equal opportunities; not with pre-selected companies, closed contracts, and public property placed at their disposal without full transparency.
Therefore our demand is concrete: the publication of all agreements and contracts of KAYO companies; the publication of the selection method and of the beneficial owners; an independent audit of the value of public assets and the contributions of private partners; open competition for public supplies; reporting on every payment from the budget and on every contract excluded from normal procedures for security reasons.
For the industry sector in general, a real package is required: fast VAT reimbursement, support linked to job preservation, financing for technology and energy efficiency, professional training and support for the transition from low-cost production to the full cycle, design, and Albanian brands. Assistance must be open to every company that meets the criteria, not a privilege distributed according to proximity to the government.
Albania cannot have corruption as its most successful product. It must produce food, clothing, shoes, technology, ideas, and well-paid jobs. It must protect the entrepreneur who invests savings, the worker who enters the factory every morning, and the family that seeks to live with dignity from its work.
Because a government is measured by what the country produces, not by what its friends benefit. It is measured by the number of jobs it protects, not by the number of companies it creates for its clients. It is measured by how much the burden on families is reduced, not by how many privileges are added for the few.
Albanians are working. Entrepreneurs are trying. What is not working for them is the government.
The system built by it must be brought down, and that starts by bringing down the government and the prime minister.
The SPAK files! Corruption! The economic crisis! High prices! They all have one common denominator: the Socialist Government and Prime Minister Rama.
It is time to change this government! Time to throw it into the dustbin of history and build a system for the majority! A system for Albanians!
