Rama Backs €4 Billion Zvernec Resort as Protests Spread and EU Scrutiny Intensifies
Updated
Updated · DW (English) · Jun 5
Rama Backs €4 Billion Zvernec Resort as Protests Spread and EU Scrutiny Intensifies
3 articles · Updated · DW (English) · Jun 5
Summary
Edi Rama said he will not retreat from the Kushner-linked Zvernec Peninsula resort, calling it a strategic investment even after videos showed private guards dragging protesters from the Narta Lagoon site.
€4 billion is the project's stated value, with developers promising more than 10,000 jobs; Rama said no final environmental permit has been issued and that impact studies and architectural plans are still being prepared.
May 30 clashes at the protected Pishe Poro–Narta coast triggered outrage and then solidarity protests in Tirana under the slogan “Albania is not for sale,” while environmental groups demanded disclosure of project documents.
18,000 hectares of wetlands, dunes and forests are at stake in an area proposed for the Emerald Network and expected to join Natura 2000, making its management a test of Albania's EU-readiness on habitat protection.
The European Commission said it is closely following the case and repeated that Albania's strategic investments law raises environmental concerns, while conservationists call the Vjosa Delta the Mediterranean's last intact living delta.
With bulldozers on-site, is Albania sacrificing its EU future for a controversial coastal mega-resort?
As prosecutors investigate, who really benefits from a new law allowing resorts to be built in protected Albanian nature reserves?
Albania’s €1.4 Billion Kushner-Backed Resort Sparks ‘Flamingo Revolution’: Protests, Environmental Fears, and EU Accession Risks
Overview
Since late May 2026, widespread protests have erupted across Albania over a proposed luxury resort on Zvernec and Sazan Island, led by an investment firm linked to Jared Kushner. The project, backed by special investor status from Albanian authorities, promises major economic benefits like €1.4 billion in investment and thousands of jobs. However, it has sparked growing tension between the government’s development ambitions and public concerns about environmental damage, transparency in land deals, and the protection of Albania’s natural heritage. Critics warn the resort’s scale threatens delicate ecosystems, fueling ongoing demonstrations and calls for greater accountability.