Flamingo protests reach Germany: Trump clan wants to buy dream island in Albania

Munich/Tirana (Albania) – The protest against a controversial billion-dollar project by Jared Kushner reaches Germany: After demonstrations in Albania, activists have announced rallies in Berlin and Munich for Friday evening. They want to protest against the planned luxury resort on the Albanian coast and possible interventions in protected natural areas. The anti-corruption public prosecutor’s office is now investigating.

At the center is Jared Kushner, husband of Ivanka Trump and son-in-law of US President Donald Trump. He wants to develop a luxury resort on the Adriatic coast through his investment company Affinity Partners. A project worth around 1.4 billion euros is to be built on the island of Sazan off the port city of Vlora.

Ivanka Trump came up with the idea to buy while swimming

Ivanka Trump came up with the idea while swimming with Kushner on a friend’s boat off the island, she said in a podcast. Sazan is 5.7 square kilometers, the size of almost 800 football fields.

Noteworthy: The Albanian government granted Kushner “strategic investor” status at the end of 2024. This special status is reserved for projects that are considered particularly important for the country’s economic development. It enables accelerated approval and administrative procedures as well as close support from government authorities.

The controversial Prime Minister Edi Rama (61) celebrates the plans as a historic opportunity for business and tourism. Zydjon Vorpsi from the environmental organization PPNEA told BILD: “Albania is best known for its wild habitats and nature. However, the vision now presented is exactly the way to destroy its own tourism potential.”

Nature conservation laws changed for project?

Explosive: In the immediate vicinity is the protected coastal area of ​​Vjosa-Narta near Zvernec – one of the most important wetlands in Europe. Flamingos, pelicans and numerous protected bird species live there. Vorpsi: “The home of thousands of breeding and migratory birds and the setting for unique landscapes will be destroyed. Trump will build residential buildings on a beautiful beach – and then be able to sell them at very high prices.”

A change in the law for protected areas provided additional fuel. The Vjosa-Narta region has been under protection since 2004, which was further strengthened by another law in 2017. In spring 2024, the law was changed to allow hotels to be built in nature reserves.

Not without problems for Albania, a candidate for EU membership: The EU criticized the approach and said that the change in the law was “contrary to EU standards”. Vorpsi: “Now the Trump project is being pushed forward without following the necessary procedures. Apparently in order to create facts before the conditions required by the EU are met.”

Water cannons against demonstrators

At the end of May, excavators arrived on the coast. Vorpsi: “Without public hearing, without consultation and without even the hint of a building permit, heavy construction equipment invaded the Pishë Poro-Nartë protected area, cleared the forest and destroyed the sand dunes of what was supposed to be a strictly protected zone!”

Rama definitely wants to realize the project: “There is absolutely no chance that the investment will be stopped as long as I am here.” To enforce the construction project, the government had fences and barbed wire erected. Videos from journalists show how private security services act against demonstrators.

In the capital Tirana, the government is taking tough action against its own population. On Wednesday the police used water cannons. Several people were also injured. Albania’s anti-corruption public prosecutor’s office SPAK is now investigating the deal.

Government defends itself against criticism

When asked by BILD, a government spokeswoman said: “There is currently neither a final approved project nor is one in the construction phase. What exists today is an ongoing planning and design process that has been going on for more than two years.”

It is equally important to clarify that the legislative changes adopted in 2024 did not revoke the protected status of the Vjosa-Narta area, said the spokeswoman. “The protected area remains protected. Environmental obligations remain in force and will continue to guide each stage of the process. Recent incidents in the area have understandably caused public concern and attracted considerable attention.”