Albanians Rally Against €1.4 Billion Kushner-Backed Resorts as EU Urges Halt in Protected Zones
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 22
Albanians Rally Against €1.4 Billion Kushner-Backed Resorts as EU Urges Halt in Protected Zones
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 22
Summary
Thousands of Albanians, joined by diaspora supporters, have staged the biggest protests in decades after bulldozers began clearing forest and dunes in the Pishë Poro-Narta reserve three weeks ago.
The unrest centers on two luxury coastal projects backed by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, including a proposed 10,000-room resort, after parliament eased protections for sensitive zones and critics accused the government of opaque, investor-friendly deals.
Tensions escalated when protesters confronted private security at the fenced-off site and footage showed a local landowner being dragged away while police did not intervene, deepening anger at Prime Minister Edi Rama.
The European Parliament has backed the protesters and called for construction to stop, warning Albania cannot conclude EU accession talks without aligning its environmental laws with EU standards.
Rama still calls the investment Albania's biggest ever and says it will create jobs and expand green space, but opponents argue the fight now reflects wider fury over corruption, inequality and the country's development model.