For a third consecutive day, demonstrators have gathered in Tirana to oppose a controversial luxury resort development on Albania's southern coast, linked to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of former US President Donald Trump. The protests, which began earlier this week, reflect growing public anger over a project that environmentalists and opposition figures say threatens a protected ecosystem and bypasses proper legal scrutiny.
The development, comprising hotels, villas, apartments, and a marina, is planned across two sites: the Narta Lagoon area, a designated nature reserve and key stopover for migratory birds along the Adriatic, and the uninhabited island of Sazan, a former communist-era military base. An investment firm tied to Kushner has been granted special investor status by Albanian authorities, raising questions about transparency.
Environmental and Legal Concerns
Since late May, heavy machinery has been clearing land among pine trees, digging access routes, and installing fencing within the Narta Lagoon. Environmental groups from Albania and across Europe have condemned the work, with one prominent local organization charging that long-protected habitats are being "irreversibly destroyed." Protesters have carried cardboard cut-outs of pink flamingos, one of the protected migratory bird species that rely on the lagoon.
Albania's state anti-corruption agency has confirmed it opened an investigation related to the project, though details remain undisclosed. The government insists the land is privately owned, but competing claims have emerged, a common type of legal dispute in the region. Critics argue that the special investor status granted to Kushner's firm bypasses standard environmental and planning reviews.
Prime Minister Edi Rama has firmly backed the venture, describing it as transformative for Albania's ambition to become a major global tourism destination. "Albania should not be a country that fears an extraordinary project like this one, where exceptional partners have come together to invest €4 billion," Rama said. He added: "There is no chance for this investment to stop as long as I am here."
A Cautionary Tale from Serbia
The project's trajectory echoes a similar Kushner-linked development in Serbia that collapsed amid legal troubles. In November, Serbia's parliament passed a special law to enable a luxury complex in Belgrade, financed by a Kushner-linked investment company. The following month, Serbia's prosecutor for organized crime charged four people, including a government minister, with abuse of office and falsifying documents to facilitate the development. Kushner later withdrew from that project, which would have replaced a bombed-out military complex in a designated heritage zone.
Albania's 450 kilometers of coastline remained largely untouched during decades of communist rule, and many fear that sections of this pristine coast could be snapped up by powerful investors with little public oversight. The current protests, which have included activists being dragged away by private security guards at the site, underscore a broader anxiety about governance and environmental stewardship in a country pushing for European Union membership.
As the demonstrations continue, the fate of the Kushner-linked resort remains uncertain, but the public outcry has already placed the Rama government under significant pressure to address concerns over transparency, environmental protection, and the rule of law.
