The reason Albanians are angry with the resort project involves Mr. Trump’s son-in-law

Thousands of Albanians have continuously taken to the streets in recent days to protest a resort project related to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump. The project has two parts, built in the Narta lagoon, western Albania, and on the nearby uninhabited island of Sazan.

The project was announced in 2024 and the Albanian government granted “strategic investor” status to Atlantic Incubation Partners, a company related to Kushner’s Affinity Partners fund. Ivanka Trump, Kushner’s wife, then went to the project area many times with architects and investors.

For the Albanian government, this is a strategic investment that can help elevate the country on the world tourism map. However, for many people, environmental activists and civil society organizations, the project raises questions about nature conservation and the country’s future development direction.

The project includes hotels, villas, luxury resort apartments and a marina. This super project has a total investment of up to 4.7 billion USD, of which luxury items on Sazan Island alone account for about 1.6 billion USD.

Prime Minister Edi Rama sees this as an opportunity to bring Albania “into the Premier League of world tourism”. Meanwhile, conservation organizations warn that building resorts in protected areas risks changing the habitat of many rare species of animals and plants. In January, more than 40 organizations sent a letter to the Albanian government, calling for the project to be suspended.

The controversy mainly revolves around the Pishe Poro Narta area and the Vjosa River Delta. It includes many lagoons, wetlands, pine forests and sand dunes, and is an important stopover for migratory birds between Europe and Africa. Flamingos, Dalmatian pelicans, loggerhead sea turtles and Mediterranean monk seals are among species that conservation organizations say could suffer significant impacts.

Activists arrived in Narta at the end of May and saw bulldozers and other heavy vehicles clearing roads and cutting down pine trees to clear the land. The project area is fenced, with security forces forcing protesters to leave.

These images sparked outrage across Albania. Thousands of people took to the streets of Tirana for several consecutive days with the slogan “Albania is not for sale”. The image of the flamingo became a symbol of the movement because this bird often appeared in Narta lagoon.

“This is not just a local dispute over fences, roads or construction zones. The problem is also about how such decisions are made and the lack of transparency surrounding them,” Besjana Shehu, co-founder of the Albanian Ornithological Society, told DW.

According to Ms. Shehu, what is at stake is the ecological integrity of more than 18,000 hectares, belonging to one of the most important natural corridors in Albania.

Ulrich Eichelmann, head of the Riverwatch organization and coordinator of the Save Europe’s Green Heart campaign, has been monitoring this ecosystem for a long time. He was one of the leaders in the campaign to help secure national park status for the Vjosa, Europe’s last wild river flowing through Albania.

According to Eichelmann, many Mediterranean rivers and coastal regions have been transformed by hydroelectric dams and economic development over the decades.

“The Vjosa Delta is the last intact delta in the entire Mediterranean region,” Mr. Eichelmann said.

Many civil society organizations believe that they do not have full access to information related to permits, environmental impact assessments and legal procedures of the project.

Aleksandr Trajce, executive director of the Organization for the Protection and Conservation of the Natural Environment of Albania (PPNEA), said activists do not oppose the existence of luxury resorts, but development must take place according to regulations and with the participation of local communities.

“From start to finish there was a lack of transparency,” Mr. Trajce told Guardian.

Albania’s anti-corruption agency has opened an investigation into legal changes adopted in 2024 that are more favorable to tourism development in protected areas. The investigation also examined the process of establishing land ownership and procedures related to the project.

Prime Minister Rama said that large-scale resort projects can create jobs, attract foreign capital flows and help the economy benefit from visitors with higher spending capacity. The Albanian leader also denied the possibility of the project being canceled while he was in office.

The project is also implemented at a sensitive time for Albania, when the country is promoting the process of joining the European Union (EU).

The Pishe Poro Narta area has been proposed to be integrated into the Emerald Network, a system of ecological reserves established under the Bern Convention, and is expected to be included in the Natura 2000 network when Albania enters the EU. Natura 2000 includes the world’s largest nature conservation areas, established and maintained by the EU with the goal of protecting rare flora and fauna and important natural habitats.

The European Commission said it is closely monitoring developments in this area and emphasized that EU environmental standards need to be fully applied to the project.

For conservationist Eichelmann, Vjosa National Park is an example of “what our world looked like 100 years ago”.

“Is there anything else we don’t want to destroy?”, Mr. Eichelmann said. “This is an issue the international community must fight to protect.”