The agreement aims to coordinate the pension insurance of the two States in terms of old age, death and invalidity. Adopted by the Council of States on Tuesday, it regulates the payment of pensions abroad. It guarantees equal treatment of nationals of both countries. This is to fill a gap in this area, said committee rapporteur Damian Müller (PLR / LU).
Albania is the only Balkan country with which Switzerland has not yet concluded a social security coordination agreement, he explained. In substance, the convention corresponds to those concluded with other countries in the region such as Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The provisions relate in particular to the taking into account of periods of insurance for the opening of a right to benefits, the subjection of persons carrying out a gainful activity and mutual administrative assistance. The convention also creates a legal basis for combating abuse.
3000 Albanians in Switzerland
There are approximately 70 Swiss nationals living in Albania and 3,000 Albanians settled in Switzerland. The agreement will avoid double liability. “We are contributing to the stability of the situation in this country and to that of the economic relationship between the two countries”, declared the President of the Confederation Alain Berset. And to specify that the annual additional cost linked to the entry into force of the convention is estimated at around 2.5 million francs, including two million at the expense of insurance. The convention was signed on February 18, 2022. It will enter into force as soon as it has also been ratified by the Albanian parliament.
