Open letter to Prime Minister Edi Rama

-Request-

SUBJECT: Some proposals for review and approval by the Council of Ministers

Mr. Prime Minister, taking cues from the stage of development of the Albanian economy, the problems of the influence of internal and global factors on the increase in the cost of living, as well as the dynamics of the influence on the increase of the quality of life, especially for the third age, I propose some measures to meet the basic requirements of this age group as the most vulnerable.

1. The government from time to time makes an indexation for pensioners with a relative figure in percentage close to the inflation coefficient for all pension measures, where high pensions increase more by deepening the max to min ratio. This situation would be more pragmatic and proportional to increase pensions in absolute value. Specifically, as a first step, an increase can be made in three stages, 6 thousand, 4 thousand and 3 thousand lek. For low pensions with a base of up to 20 thousand Lek, to this an addition of 6 thousand Lek. For pensions based on 20 to 30 thousand lek, an addition of 4 thousand lek and for pensions over 30 thousand, an addition of 3 thousand lek. For social assistance and the disabled, an allowance of 3 thousand lek. This form eliminates the disproportion created by the increase in a certain %. Reimbursement according to the coefficient for inflation is another right without including it with the direct supplement. Even in this case, the allowance can be equal for all pensioners, e.g. of 1 thousand lek, since the increase in prices affects everyone equally.

2. The Government's decision on the salary in the Administration of 900 Euros is good news. But the discussion or approval for the salary increase for a category of State employees in staggering values, up to 7 thousand Euros, is affecting a great dissatisfaction among the people. This is how a Min salary report was created. with Max. until 1:15! Despite the fact that we are in a system with capitalist production, we need to find the mode of social distribution, as applied in many countries in Europe. A reasonable salary ratio min. with that max. it would be no more than 1:5, where the highest salary should belong to the President of the Republic. There are countries in the Balkans that have this ratio higher than 1:3.

3. Mr. Prime Minister, the fact that the age group for the free medical check-up is set at 35 to 70 years old cannot pass without your attention. This is an absurdity and an insult, that the elderly over 70 years old are removed from the list of health care and protection and other public services, while their vote is required and is decisive for every Government. In this way, about 275 thousand pensioners over 70 years old have been excluded. It would be more correct to schedule the check-up, from the age of min. 40 and until the end of life (40 +), since with increasing age health problems also increase, even many countries above the retirement age, increase the checks by 2 times in year.

4. Medical medications for retirees should not be partially reimbursed, but fully 100%, as in all European countries and beyond. Payments for urban trips, for sports activities, visits to museums, etc. is appropriate to be 30-40% by providing pensioners with the "elderly" (Senior) card.

5. The calculation of the amount of the pension for persons who reached the age until 31.12.2014 was done according to the formula for the income of 3 years of the last 10 years, while with the new law the persons who reached the age one day later, i.e. from 01 January 2015, are calculated with the total of all years of work. It would be more rational to develop a variant that suits an optimal choice of each pensioner, according to the contributions made during all the years of work.

6. The National Committee and the Committee of Tirana, of the Organization of Veterans and successors of LANÇ, have their offices mainly on the fifth floor in the annex of the SP Presidency building. The veteran members and descendants, most of them retired and at a very advanced age, even 100 years old, have been tortured for years by climbing to the 5th floor, while their sons and grandsons enjoy comfort on the first floors of this building. It would be in the honor of this Government to install an elevator that would solve such an absurdity. I remain hopeful that Your Excellency will meet these minimum requirements.