Controversial Albanian Coastal Development Faces Protests

A significant coastal development project in Albania, associated with Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump, is encountering increasing resistance from protesters. Police used water cannons and engaged with demonstrators in Tirana, the capital, during a recent protest. The Albanian government promotes the development as potentially transformative, aiming to boost the country’s entry into the high-end tourism market and further its European Union membership aspirations.

The project spans an abandoned island and an adjacent seafront on Albania’s southern coast. However, it is opposed by environmental campaigners and critics of Prime Minister Edi Rama’s administration. The project consists of two parts: a coastal development in the Narta Lagoon area, a wildlife reserve, and a smaller resort on the uninhabited Sazan Island, formerly a communist military base. The plan involves hotels, apartments, villas, and a marina.

In a discussion with U.S. podcaster David Senra, Ivanka Trump recounted discovering the site while swimming from a friend’s boat. They then embarked on a barefoot hike to explore more. An investment firm linked to Kushner has received special investor status from Albanian authorities.

Albania has 450 kilometers of coastline that remained largely undeveloped due to its communist past.

Protesters worry about the impact of large-scale development on the untouched coastline, fearing it might be taken over by influential investors. Concerns heightened after footage showed a private security guard dragging an activist during a protest. The site lies within a nature reserve and a vital biodiversity region, important for migratory birds along the Adriatic coast. Demonstrators have carried cut-outs of pink flamingos, one of the protected migratory species, at rallies.

Since late May, heavy machinery has begun altering the site, constructing access routes and installing fencing. Environmental groups across Europe have criticized the project, alleging irreversible damage to protected habitats. Albania’s state anti-corruption agency is investigating the project but has not disclosed further details. The land designated for the project is reportedly privately owned, yet conflicting claims challenge its privatization.

Despite the controversies, Prime Minister Rama stands by the development, framing it as a step towards positioning Albania as a global tourism hub. He assured that the investment, estimated at 4 billion euros, would proceed. “Albania should not shy away from an extraordinary project like this,” Rama stated.

A cautionary precedent exists in Serbia, where a similar project linked to Kushner was abandoned after legal issues arose. In November, Serbia introduced a law to facilitate another luxury complex associated with Kushner in Belgrade. However, subsequent legal actions charged officials with misconduct, leading Kushner to withdraw from the multi-million investment, initially slated to replace a heritage-protected military complex.