On November 5, 2026, the Information and Data Protection Commissioner’s, Mr. Besnik Dervishi, presented the institution’s budget requirements for 2027 during two parliamentary hearings: one before the Committee on Human Rights and Public Media, and the other before the Committee on Civic Initiatives, Cooperation, and Institutional Oversight.
In presenting these budget requirements, the Commissioner emphasized the need to fund priority investments and increase the number of staff to fulfill the institution’s expanded mandate which includes overseeing the implementation of legislation on lobbying.
The draft budget for 2027 allocates 236,723,000 ALL to the Commissioner’s Office. The budget for salaries and social security contributions covers 77 employees an increase of 7 over the current headcount while 28 million ALL is earmarked for investments. The Commissioner requested an additional 13 staff positions (beyond the 7 already included in the draft budget) as well as an extra 42 million ALL for investments.
Among the priority investments, the Commissioner highlighted the digitalization of transparency programs, an initiative designed to make it easier for citizens to locate information that public authorities are legally required to publish. He also emphasized the need to fund systems for identifying cyber threats and monitoring security incidents.
The Commissioner also referred to the Progress Report on Albania, published by the European Commission on November 4, 2026. The report assesses that the legal framework for the protection of personal data is in line with European Union legislation and that all the necessary bylaws for the implementation of the law have been adopted. The report highlights the need to strengthen the human and financial resources of the Commissioner’s Office to enable it to fulfill its expanded duties. The Commissioner linked this need to Albania’s commitments under Chapter 23, “Judiciary and Fundamental Rights.”
Members of both parliamentary committees supported the requests presented and called on the Ministry of Finance to provide the necessary budgetary support, ensuring that the Commissioner’s Office can carry out the duties assigned to it by the Assembly.
