IIlir Meta was born on March 24, 1969 in Skrapar, Albania. He graduated in Political Economy at the Faculty of Economics, University of Tirana in 1992 where he also pursued his postgraduate studies.

Mr.Meta is currently the Deputy-Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania. In the previous parliamentary legislature he held the Chairmanship of the Parliamentary Commission of European Integration.

Ilir Meta is the Leader of the Socialist Movement for Integration (LSI) founded in September 2004, following his resignation from the Socialist Party in order to avoid a political crisis in Albania. LSI is now the third largest parliamentary party in Albania and member of the governing coalition with the Democratic Party.

Ilir Meta has an extensive political activity, starting from 1990 as an active participant in the students’ movement that brought the fall down of the communist regime. Since 1992 he has been elected Member of Parliament in all legislatures, and member of several Parliamentarian Commissions. From 1996 to 1997 he was deputy chairman of the -Foreign Affairs Commission of the Albanian Parliament.

Ilir Meta is one of the co-founders of the Forum of the Euro-socialist Youth of Albania (FRESH), contributing to its accession to the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY). He held important leading positions within the FRESH as Deputy Chairman (1992-1995), and  later as Chairman (1995-2001).

His political activity within the Socialist Party of Albania was hugely intensive. He was member of the Party’s Steering Committee from 1992 and a member of the Party’s Presidency from 1993 up to the day he resigned (July 2003), after presenting to the Party’s leadership pressing issues such as the lack of transparency, failure to deliver progress, and commitment to reforms.

Ilir Meta was Chairman of the SP local branch of the capital city, Tirana (1997-1998). From 1993 to 1996 he held the important position of Party’s Vice Chairman and International Secretary, time when relations with many socialist and social-democrat parties across Europe, European Socialist Party and the Socialist International were established.

His political activity marked significant progress during a successful prime-ministership (November 1999 - September 2001), and after a victory in the summer General Elections, He won a second mandate (September 2001 - February 2002). During this period, he led the country through a range of important reforms which prepared Albania’s path towards the process of  the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA). In February 2002, he resigned to avoid a political crisis within the majority.

Ilir Meta has also served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs (July 2002 – July 2003), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Coordination (October 1998 – October 1999), and State Secretary for European Integration at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (March – October 1998).

From 2004 to 2006, Mr. Ilir Meta was elected member of the International Commission on the Balkans, chaired by the former Italian Prime Minister, Giuliano Amato. Its membership of 17 internationally renowned decision-makers from different countries of Europe and the United States, gave a list of important recommendations towards the integration of the countries of South East Europe into the European Union.

Ilir Meta is a visiting lecturer at the Economic Faculty of Tirana University. He has also lectured at several renowned universities and academies overseas, including Harvard University and the European Academy in Berlin.

Ilir Meta is married to Monika Kryemadhi. They have two daughters and a son, Bora, Era and Besar.

He speaks English and Italian and enjoys reading historical books as well as practicing various active sports such as swimming, basketball and ping pong.