European Parliament Urges Albania to Halt $4 Billion Resort Project as Anti-Corruption Protests Grow
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 21
European Parliament Urges Albania to Halt $4 Billion Resort Project as Anti-Corruption Protests Grow
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 21
Summary
Thousands rallied in Tirana on June 20, widening protests from a luxury resort dispute into demands that Prime Minister Edi Rama and opposition leader Sali Berisha step down.
The European Parliament this week urged Albania to stop construction on protected lands and impose a moratorium on new permits, sharpening pressure over the planned coastal developments.
The unrest was triggered by Jared Kushner-backed resort plans that would add about 10,000 hotel rooms and villas at Sazan Island and Zvërnec, near a protected habitat for monk seals, flamingos and nesting sea turtles.
Rama’s government says the projects sit on state or privately owned land, denies links to the Vjosa Delta and says they must undergo an in-depth environmental impact assessment.
Protesters and critics frame the developments as part of decades of corruption, while developers say the investment could bring jobs and that the projects’ future should be decided by Albanians.