Key facts
- The European Commission has cautioned Albania against actions that could jeopardize its EU accession path.
- Protests have intensified in Albania over a luxury resort project linked to Jared Kushner.
- Critics argue the project threatens a protected wildlife area and may violate EU environmental laws.
- Albania's anti-corruption prosecutor is investigating changes to the area's protected status and land ownership.
- The EU expects Albania to repeal changes to its Law on Protected Areas and terminate its law on strategic investments.
The European Commission has cautioned Albania against actions that could jeopardize its EU accession path, amid ongoing national protests over a luxury resort development linked to Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
National protests entered their seventh consecutive day on Sunday as Albanians demanded the cancellation of the resort project, arguing that it threatens a protected wildlife area home to flamingos, seals, and turtle nesting sites. The Commission warned that the project could put Albania on a collision course with the EU’s environmental rules, jeopardizing its ability to close the green Chapter 27 in its accession talks.
A European Commission spokesperson stated that Albania should refrain from actions that could undermine the fulfillment of the closing benchmarks and expects Albanian authorities to act without delay. Albania is expected to align fully with EU legislation, including the Birds and the Habitats Directives, and repeal changes to the Law on Protected Areas and terminate the law on strategic investments.
Albania's environment minister, Sofjan Jaupaj, informed the Commission that construction on the project has been suspended and an environmental impact assessment will be carried out with civil society. However, a spokesperson for Jaupaj stated that no final project proposal has been submitted and construction activities have not commenced, reiterating that the project will undergo a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment.
The protests, dubbed the “Flamingo Revolution,” have intensified, with calls growing for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign. Albania’s anti-corruption prosecutor, SPAK, has opened an investigation into controversial changes in the area’s protected status and land ownership in 2024.
Prime Minister Rama recently told POLITICO that there is not much interest from EU leaders in the political unrest in Albania at the moment, and maintained that if it wasn’t Jared Kushner, “they wouldn’t give a shit” about the project.
Albanians in various cities globally and within Albania have joined calls for the project to be scrapped. Albania is a frontrunner to join the EU, with technical negotiations expected to close at the end of 2027. The scrutiny stems from Albania’s 2024 changes to its Protected Areas law, which critics say opened the door to large-scale development in sensitive wildlife areas, including the Vjosa-Narta protected area where the Kushner-linked project is located.