Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama has said the future of a controversial luxury resort linked to the family of US President Donald Trump will be determined by an environmental impact assessment, not by public opposition or political ideology. Speaking at the Euronews Travel and Tourism Summit in Brussels, Rama defended the €1.4bn project planned for the protected Zvërnec lagoon, insisting that science must guide the decision.
The proposed development, associated with Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, has drawn thousands of protesters to the streets of Tirana since the summer. Critics argue that construction in a protected wetland would damage fragile ecosystems and set a dangerous precedent for unchecked development along Albania's coast.
Science over slogans
“The fate of this project will be decided by the results of the environmental impact assessment, not by streets and ideology,” Rama told Euronews. He stressed that his government must attract high-end investment to improve living standards, raise salaries, and upgrade public services in the former communist state.
Albania, which is a frontrunner for EU membership, assured the European Commission in June that the project would meet EU environmental standards. As part of its accession process, Tirana must align its legislation with the bloc's environmental acquis, making the outcome of the assessment legally significant.
The protests have become a rallying point for opposition groups, with some demonstrators calling for Rama's resignation. Yet the prime minister remains defiant, framing the resort as a test of Albania's ability to compete in the premium tourism market.
From isolation to 'shining jewel'
Rama used the summit to reflect on Albania's transformation, describing the country as the former “North Korea of Europe” due to its decades of isolation under communist rule. He now calls it the continent's “shining little jewel,” noting that nearly 12 million foreign visitors arrived this year, a figure corroborated by UN Tourism data.
However, Rama expressed concern about the type of tourists driving the boom. “One of the downsides of this is that by having tourism that is based on the middle-, low-income tourists, we risk to have a country under big stress on its infrastructure, on its nature, on its services,” he said. He argued that higher-income visitors would “lower the stress on the country and we get more from them,” justifying the push for ultra-luxury developments.
The strategy echoes debates across Europe about balancing tourism revenue with environmental protection. In Germany, for example, Lidl's Tinnum housing project tests Sylt's exclusive model, highlighting similar tensions between development and preservation.
Rama's remarks come as Albania seeks to shed its image as a cheap destination and attract investors who can deliver “very high end” projects. But the Zvërnec resort has become a flashpoint, with environmental groups warning that the assessment process may be a formality rather than a genuine safeguard.
The European Commission will be watching closely. If the assessment fails to meet EU standards, it could delay Albania's accession talks, which are already sensitive given broader regional dynamics. The outcome will also signal how serious Tirana is about enforcing environmental rules, a key benchmark for membership.
For now, Rama is betting that a rigorous scientific review will silence critics and pave the way for a project he sees as vital to Albania's economic future. Whether that gamble pays off depends on the data—and on whether the government can convince a skeptical public that the process is transparent.
