Albanian citizens and environmental activists have been demonstrating for weeks against a controversial luxury resort project linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, arguing it could threaten flamingos, seals, and other species in a protected coastal area along the Adriatic Sea. Even though the demonstrations have grown from environmental action into broader anti-corruption and political protests, Prime Minister Edi Rama has told Reuters that the project will go ahead and that the wildlife and nature will be protected.
The demonstrations, dubbed the Flamingo Revolution, began in late May at the site of the proposed resort on Albania’s southern coast, but have since spread to other parts of the country. The largest rally yet took place on Wednesday, with thousands of people marching the streets of the capital, Tirana, holding pink flamingo cut-outs and demanding that the project be cancelled, according to news agencies.
The project is being developed in the protected Vjosa-Narta wetland, home to a wide range of wildlife species, including flamingos, pelicans, monk seals, and sea turtles. The area, which includes the Narta Lagoon and the Vjosa River mouth, is located about 150 kilometers southwest of Tirana.
The Vjosa, one of Europe’s last remaining wild rivers, was declared a national park in 2023, following a decade-long environmentalist campaign.
The luxury seaside resort plan includes construction on Sazan Island, formerly a military exclusion zone, and in Zvërnec, a settlement near the coastal city of Vlora. Total investment is estimated at about EUR 5 billion, according to reports.
Environmental concerns might harm Albania’s EU ambitions
The environmental concerns surrounding the project might harm Albania’s ambitions to join the European Union, specifically the closing of Chapter 27 of the accession talks, which deals with the environment and climate change.
The Vjosa-Narta area is protected by law, but legislative amendments passed in 2024 relaxed the building restrictions. A European Commission spokesperson has told Politico that Albania should repeal the changes to the Law on Protected Areas. The spokesperson also said the country should “terminate” the law on strategic investments, under which the project was granted special status.
Top officials claim the project will proceed responsibly, with a comprehensive environmental impact assessment
Albanian Minister of Environment Sofjan Jaupaj has informed the European Commission that the project will undergo a comprehensive environmental impact assessment, followed by a public consultation, the portal wrote, citing Sofjan’s spokesperson.
Prime Minister Edi Rama said the project would proceed responsibly. “The European Commission has no reason to doubt our firm will to protect whatever has to be protected when it comes to wildlife and nature,” he added, as quoted by Reuters.
Meanwhile, Albania’s special anti-corruption prosecution office, SPAK, opened an investigation into changes to the area’s protected status and land ownership adopted in 2024.
Ten days ago, SPAK froze the bank accounts of a company linked to the controversial project, which had bought land plots in Zvërnec, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) noted.
Albania’s anti-corruption prosecutors are investigating the project
OCCRP, a global investigative journalism organization, added that the company in question is owned by two prominent Qatari entrepreneurs.
Jared Kushner’s private equity firm, Affinity Partners, manages and invests capital from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.
Kushner, the husband of Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, had planned to develop a luxury hotel in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, at the site of the former army headquarters heavily damaged in the 1999 NATO bombardment of Yugoslavia.
Kushner dropped a luxury hotel project in Serbia after street protests and criminal charges against the culture minister
However, he abandoned the project earlier this year following mass protests in Belgrade and criminal charges brought against Serbian Minister of Culture Nikola Selaković over revoking the building’s cultural heritage status.
