On 26 – 27 May 2025, the international conference titled “Building Effective Market Institutions in the Western Balkans” was held in Vienna, Austria, organized by the World Bank in cooperation with the Austrian Competition Authority.
A delegation from the Albanian Competition Authority took part in the event, consisting of the Chairman, Mr. Denar Biba, Commission Member Mrs. Fatjola Delija, and Secretary General Mr. Endi Çekani.
The first day of the conference brought together high-level policymakers and competition experts from the region and beyond, including Mrs. Claudia Plakolm, Austria’s Minister for Europe and Integration, and Prof. Philip Marsden, Deputy Chair of the Enforcement Decision-Making Committee at the Bank of England and former Chair of the Case Decision Group at the UK Competition and Markets Authority.
On the second day, participants engaged in specialized training sessions led by international experts such as Devon Mahoney, World Bank consultant and former FBI Special Supervisory Agent for the Antitrust Program, and Gadi Perl, World Bank consultant and former Head of Forensic Investigations at the Israel Competition Authority. The sessions focused on sharing best practices in investigating competition violations, including cartel cases and abuse of dominance.
The participation of the Albanian Competition Authority in this conference marks an important step toward strengthening institutional capacities and exchanging experiences with peer authorities in the region and beyond, in support of a more open, fair, and competitive market.
