Rama Brands 100,000-Plus Albania Protesters 'Fascist' as He Defends $5 Billion Kushner Resorts
Updated
Updated · Forbes · Jun 15
Rama Brands 100,000-Plus Albania Protesters 'Fascist' as He Defends $5 Billion Kushner Resorts
1 articles · Updated · Forbes · Jun 15
Summary
Edi Rama escalated his response over the weekend, calling part of the anti-resort movement "fascist" as protests against Jared Kushner’s Albania projects entered a third week.
100,000 to 200,000 people joined Saturday’s largest "Flamingo Revolution" rally, driven by claims the Sazan Island and coastal developments threaten protected land and wildlife.
Rama said the state is not selling Albania, arguing Sazan will remain state property while the Zvërnec site is privately owned; he also said construction still requires a detailed plan and an environmental assessment.
EU pressure is adding to the dispute after European officials warned last week that environmental-law changes tied to the projects could jeopardize Albania’s accession benchmarks.
More than $5 billion in planned investment has made the Kushner resorts a flashpoint over environmental protection, Rama’s leadership and Albania’s ties to Trump’s orbit.
Will Albania sacrifice its EU ambitions for Jared Kushner's controversial coastal resorts?
Will the controversial laws enabling Kushner's resorts be overturned by the corruption probe?
With bulldozers already razing a protected delta, is the government's planning process a sham?
Albania’s $4.6 Billion Resort Project Faces Escalating Protests, Corruption Allegations, and EU Scrutiny
Overview
The Albania resort project, led by Jared Kushner, is still in its early stages and could take up to 10 years to complete. Approved soon after President Donald Trump’s reelection, the project includes a large coastal development in the protected Narta Lagoon and a smaller resort on Sazan Island. Despite its early phase, the project faces strong scrutiny and growing protests due to concerns over recent legal changes that allow development in protected areas. The European Commission has raised issues about these changes, and an anti-corruption investigation is underway, creating uncertainty about the project's future.