There may be debates in the Parliament about whether Albania has money for pensions, healthcare or education. For some other things, however, the money seems to have been found.
Documents obtained by VNA for Assembly procurements during 2026 reveal a Parliament that has planned 40 million lek (about 400 thousand euros) for international travel tickets alone.
And flying is just the beginning.
Once they return to Tirana, the deputies will also have new chairs. The Assembly has allocated 20 million lek (about 200 thousand euros) for the purchase of chairs for the plenary session hall.
Meanwhile, 25 million lek (about 250 thousand euros) of fuel are planned for official cars. So, just for flying, sitting and driving, the planned bill reaches 85 million lek (approximately 850 thousand euros).
But procurement records obtained by VNA show that the Assembly led by Niko Peleshi also has more elegant needs.
For ceremonial receptions, lunches, dinners and cocktails, a limit fund of 10 million lek (about 100 thousand euros) has been set. For protocol gifts, 1.5 million lek (about 15 thousand euros), while in the register of achievements the winner for this category is Argjendari Piro, with a contract of 404,583 lek (about 4 thousand euros).
There are also flowers and vases. For their purchase and maintenance, the limit fund is about 839 thousand lek (about 8,400 euros), with a contract of 794,400 lek (about 7,900 euros). Porcelani Studio also appears in the documents.
But among the invoices is a much more costly project: the Parliament’s Media Hub, for which 41,833,333 lek (about 418 thousand euros) have been foreseen. The register of achievements also includes the drafting of the project for its construction, with a limited fund of 776 thousand lek (about 7,800 euros) and a contract of 475 thousand lek (about 4,750 euros).
And here a question arises that the Assembly must explain.
Albania already has RTSH Kuvend, the public television channel dedicated to parliamentary activity, which broadcasts plenary sessions and committee meetings. The Assembly also broadcasts its activity on online platforms.
So, what new service will the Media Hub offer for over 41 million lek (over 410 thousand euros) that is not currently offered and why does the Parliament need this additional bill?
This is another question from cybersecurity, where high costs can be linked to real needs for protecting systems. Media Hub requires a more concrete explanation of the function, the product it will produce, and the need that justifies the investment.
In total, the 25 large-value procurement procedures foreseen for 2026 amount to 265,114,250 lekë (about 2.6 million euros).
But to understand the Assembly’s spending philosophy, it is not necessary to read all 25 tenders.
Three is enough.
400 thousand euros to fly.
200 thousand euros to land.
250 thousand euros to fill the cars with fuel.
So, 850 thousand euros, or nearly 1 million euros from Albanian taxes, just so that MPs can travel, move around, and have somewhere to sit.
We have not yet included their salaries and per diems in this bill. Nor the banquets, cocktails, protocol gifts, jewelry, porcelain, or flowers that appear in other Assembly documents.
And here the irony of the bills becomes stronger than any comment: Albanian taxpayers pay nearly 1 million euros just to get the deputies to their seats. What they do after they sit in them is another bill./ vna
