Mr. Durim Kraja was elected as a member of the Competition Authority Commission by Decision no. 54/2022, dated 23.06.2022, of the Assembly of the Republic of Albania. Mr. Kraja has had a distinguished career in both the public and private sectors, with extensive experience in key issues that Albania has faced since the fall of the communist regime and the beginning of the country’s democratic era.
Mr. Kraja completed his education in economic studies, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Tirana – Department of Economics in 1988, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Nebraska – Department of Economics of the University of Tirana in 2006. In 2015, he obtained a doctoral degree in Economic Sciences in Management from the University of Tirana – Department of Economics.
Throughout his career, Mr. Kraja has held several prestigious and challenging positions in the public sector. He served as Secretary General of the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Energy for over six years (2005-2011). He also worked at the Ministry of Health as Director of the Minister’s Cabinet (2013), Director of the Audit Directorate, and Director of the Economic Department (2003-2005). In addition, he held positions at the General Directorate of the National Commercial Bank of Tirana in the Short-Term Credit Department (1993) and as Head of Finance at the Commercial Bank of Shkodër (1991-1993).
Mr. Kraja has also held important roles in the private sector. He managed an Italian company for three years (1988-1991) and worked as a consultant for the international consulting company Law & Tax Firm CMS for six years (2012-2017), utilizing his broad knowledge in various fields and industries. Notably, he has been a consultant to the Urban Research Institute since 2021. From 2020 to July 2022, he served as an Administrator of the investment company GAIA SH.P.K.
Due to his administrative positions, Mr. Kraja has been a member of various international financial institutions. These include serving as a “Member of the Administrative and Executive Board of the Bank of the Council of Europe ‘CEB'” (2005-2009), representing Albania, and Acting Governor for Albania in the Islamic Development Bank IDB” (2006-2010), among others. He has also held the position of “Chairman of the Supervisory Council of the Transmission System Operator OST” (2008-2011).
Mr. Kraja is actively involved in academic life, working as a lecturer at the University of Tirana, Faculty of Economics. Since 2019, he has also been an internal lecturer at the Department of Economics at the Metropolitan University in Tirana. He is the author of various scientific publications, both domestically and internationally.