Albania-Italy Agreement on Social Security

The Albanian Parliament has ratified the Agreement between the Republic of Albania and the Republic of Italy in the field of social security with Law No. 47/2024.

This agreement applies to legislation related to:

1. In Albania:

   • Insurance for old-age, disability, and family pensions (beneficiaries);

   • Benefits for sickness and maternity;

   • Unemployment insurance.

2. In Italy:

   • General mandatory insurance for employee pensions, disability, old-age, and family pensions; special treatment for self-employed workers (artisans, traders, farmers);

   • Sickness benefits including tuberculosis and maternity;

   • Unemployment insurance;

   • Special substitute or additional schemes created for specific categories of workers that refer to services or risks covered by previously mentioned legislation.

The agreement applies to individuals who are or have been subject to one or both contracting states’ legislation as well as their family members and beneficiaries remaining after them.

Pension Rights

Through this agreement, an individual is granted the right that if they do not meet conditions set by one contracting state’s legislation for entitlements (pension rights), based solely on periods insured and equivalent sums fulfilled under that legislation, competent institutions will apply rules combining periods.

Thus, insurance periods from one contracting state are combined with those from another without overlapping so individuals can benefit from a pension in both countries.

Competent institutions:

• Determine theoretical benefit amounts an interested party would be entitled to if all combined insured periods were fulfilled according to their own legislation.

• Determine actual benefit amounts by reducing theoretical amounts based on ratios between insured periods completed under applicable laws versus total insured periods in both contracting states.

• If total duration exceeds maximum required by one state’s law for full entitlements but does not exceed overall duration when considering both states’ requirements together then competent institutions consider this maximum duration instead.

Example:

To qualify for a pension in Italy requires at least 20 years of work while Albania requires 15 years. If an Albanian citizen worked 10 years in Albania before emigrating and working another 10 years in Italy these two insurance periods are combined allowing them access to pension rights in both countries; they receive two separate pensions corresponding to time worked within each country respectively.

This translation maintains clarity while adhering strictly to formal language suitable for legal contexts regarding international agreements on social security between Albania and Italy.