Thousands of people marched through Tirana on Wednesday in the largest demonstration yet against a luxury resort development linked to Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law, on a protected stretch of Albania's Adriatic coast. The protests, which have been dubbed the Flamingo Revolution, have grown into the most sustained public challenge to Prime Minister Edi Rama's 13-year government.
Demonstrators filled half a mile of one of the capital's main boulevards outside Rama's office, holding signs reading "Albania is not for sale" and chanting "New Albania." The crowd included environmental activists, opposition supporters and ordinary citizens united in their opposition to a development they say threatens both an irreplaceable ecosystem and the country's democratic standards. "The project in Zvernec is a project with no transparency. And this is the apotheosis of what has been happening in Albania for the last 35 years. So today, enough is enough," protester Leand Lakrori told Reuters.
The project, linked to Kushner through his investment firm Affinity Partners, involves the construction of hotels and a marina in the protected coastal area of Vjosa-Narta, a wetland home to flamingos, seals and sea turtle nesting sites near the southern community of Zvernec, as well as on Sazan, a formerly classified military island. The total investment has been valued at more than €4 billion. Construction works at the Zvernec site began in late April, with local authorities giving contradictory accounts of whether valid permits were in place at the time.
The European Commission added its voice to the growing pressure on Monday, warning that Albania must ensure full alignment with EU environmental legislation if it wants to accede to the bloc. Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier said Albania "should refrain from action that could undermine the fulfilment of the closing benchmark" and called on authorities to "act without delay." The EU has said it could admit new members including Albania by 2030, but that timeline depends on compliance with European law, including environmental standards. Brussels had already raised concerns in its most recent annual progress report about Albanian amendments weakening protected area legislation and exemptions for large strategic investments from standard competitive processes.
Rama told Reuters on Monday the project would go ahead and would be completed responsibly, adding that his government was proud of its environmental record. "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 said. Affinity Partners has not responded to requests for comment.
The controversy is not purely environmental. Critics have questioned the origins of funds used to purchase the coastal land, the legality of procedures that enabled the investment, and a 2024 parliamentary law that removed the ban on construction in protected areas. Albania's special anti-corruption prosecutor's office, SPAK, has opened an investigation into changes to the protected status of the Vjosa-Narta area. The protests come months after violent clashes over the alleged corruption of Rama's former deputy, Belinda Balluku, whom Rama subsequently dismissed.
Kushner had announced plans for the resort in 2024 as part of a wider investment that also included a former army headquarters in the Serbian capital Belgrade. He later abandoned the Serbia project following street protests there. Ivanka Trump said in a recent podcast interview that the couple had discovered the Albanian coastline while swimming from a friend's yacht.
Rama's government remains committed to the development and shows no sign of backing down. BirdLife Albania and dozens of other environmental organisations have called for the project's suspension. Both sides are now watching Brussels closely, with Albania's EU accession timeline emerging as the pressure point most likely to force a decision.
Source: Reuters
