Municipal and ministerial arrears reach 7.83 billion lek, an increase of 2 billion lek from end-2025

The stock of overdue arrears continued to grow during the second quarter of 2026, after a significant decrease recorded at the end of last year. By the end of June, debts reached around 7.83 billion lek, or nearly 2 billion lek more than in December 2025.

Data show that at the end of March, municipalities and ministries had 6.93 billion lek in arrears, while at the end of 2025 the figure was 5.83 billion lek.

The central government accounted for most of the increase in unpaid bills to businesses and creditors. Its arrears rose from 1.86 billion lek to 3.31 billion lek, marking an increase of nearly 1.45 billion lek. Within this group, the strongest increase relates to maintenance arrears, while overdue payments for investments saw a slight decline.

At the local level, the total value of arrears reached 3.11 billion lek. The Ministry of Finance report shows that Kavajë Municipality leads with the highest debt stock, at 719.3 million lek. Next come Tirana, Pogradec, Dimal, and Cërrik, with arrears ranging from 140 million to 280 million lek.

The fact that overdue arrears have increased while the budget has recorded a high surplus raises questions about how public spending is implemented and whether payment discipline toward contractors is being respected.

Even though the revenue surplus could have been used to reduce unpaid bills, institutions have continued to create new arrears. Consequently, payments for goods, services, investments, and other spending categories have been postponed.