Funding for reconstruction, which began with great enthusiasm after the tragic earthquake of 2019, is nearing completion. After six years, with a bill of over 131 billion lek in expenses, the government will stop funding at the end of 2026. The state budget no longer plans a single lek for reconstruction after next year.
After a series of missed deadlines and endless delays, the government plans for the end of 2026 to be the official “closing” of the reconstruction program. According to the Ministry of Finance, the program will close with 5 billion lek planned in the 2026 budget.
"When it is said today that 2026 will be the last year, it is understood more as a formal closure than as a natural end of affairs.
Because even now there remain areas where the works have not been completed, projects that depend on other permits, or individual houses in villages that always end up last on the list. "- says Eduard Gjokutaj, an expert on the economy, to Faktoje.al.
According to him, the figures tell the story of a process that was not accelerated, but rather slowed down.
"A story where time became the main burden, and where closure does not come as a success, but as the natural end of poor administration, which dragged on until there was no more to drag on," concludes Gjokutaj.
The first three years were the “golden age” of funds. In 2020 and 2021, the government financed 32 and 35 billion lek for reconstruction. In 2022, funding fell to 28.8 billion lek, while in 2023 it was halved to 16.2 billion.
The decline continued at the same pace. Only 9 billion lek in 2024 and 5 billion in 2025 and the same in 2026.
90% of projects completed
As the budget puts a lid on the reconstruction program, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy says the process has advanced "at a satisfactory pace."
In its official response to Faktoje.al, the institution acknowledges that the reconstruction has been a "dynamic and unpredictable" process, accompanied by delays, but insists that the objective of closing within 2026 remains in force.
The ministry justifies the pace with the large extent of the damages and their spread across 11 municipalities, emphasizing that the responsible structures "are maximally committed" to completing everything within the deadline.
But 6 years after the tragedy, it does not provide a concrete number regarding the families who have not yet moved into a completed house. Instead, the ministry emphasizes that: “The handling of these cases also constitutes the final and concluding phase of the process.”
On the other hand, according to the Ministry of Infrastructure, the project is nearing completion in terms of both physical and financial aspects.
"Currently, over 90% of the projects within the reconstruction process have been completed," says the Ministry of Interior.
2026 is not certain
According to Agron Haxhimali, head of the Institute of Municipalities, the progress of reconstruction is visible, but far from a success story.
"The pace has often been slow between municipalities," he says, emphasizing that delays in individual housing projects and new neighborhoods, delays in procurement, building permits and inspections, as well as the mismatch between funds and works "have created real blockages on the ground."
For this reason, as Haxhimali adds, reconstruction "has not been linear" and has progressed at different rates according to areas.
As for the official closing deadline of the end of 2026, Haxhimali calls it "ambitious, but not impossible."
However, he warns that open-ended projects, from individual housing, to neighborhood infrastructure and public facilities, and a lack of funding put the objective at risk.
“Municipalities should speed up administrative procedures to avoid further delays,” he underlines.
Even the 5 billion lek fund that closes the financial cycle is not seen as an automatic solution for the remaining projects.
“Its adequacy depends on the number of open contracts and the increase in construction costs,” says Haxhimali, recalling that prices in the sector continue to rise. He calls for more transparency, including the publication of contracts, quarterly reports and detailed data on beneficiary municipalities.
"The reconstruction has brought concrete results, but the process is not yet closed after six years. The 2026 deadline remains uncertain and the main challenge is transparency, efficiency and fair distribution of funds," he concludes.
cONcluSiON
A few hours after thousands of Albanian families found themselves at a crossroads due to the devastating earthquake of November 26, 2019, Prime Minister Edi Rama vowed that all homeless people would be moved into new housing within a year.
"By 2020, there should be no more discussion about any person who lost their home in the earthquake. Everyone should be in better conditions than they were before the earthquake," Rama promised at the time.
The deadline was exceeded and the government blamed the COVID-19 pandemic for the delays. In 2021, Rama changed his tone, justifying the pace: “It’s only been 15 months. Tell me where is a builder who builds a building in 15 months. At best, it takes 2 years,” he said at the time.
After 6 years, the process is declared financially complete on paper. But on the ground, the reconstruction is still not finished and thousands of residents are waiting for their house keys, based on the verifications that Faktoje has followed year after year.
Based on official data and analysis of project progress, the promise that "by 2020 there should be no more discussion about any person who has lost their home" remains unfulfilled. /Faktoje
