Brussels has warned Albania that two luxury tourism projects linked to Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner could jeopardise the country’s EU membership ambitions unless they comply with the bloc’s environmental rules.
The intervention comes after weeks of protests against developments worth more than €5 billion, with demonstrators accusing Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government of handing strategically important coastal areas to foreign investors.
The dispute centres on two major tourism projects backed by Affinity Partners, Kushner’s investment firm, together with international investors.
One project would transform Sazan Island, a former communist military base in the Ionian Sea, into a luxury resort worth around €1.4 billion. The second involves a development valued at more than €4 billion in the protected Vjosa-Narta area, one of Albania’s most important wetland regions.
The projects have become a rallying point for protesters who argue that the government is allowing strategically important and environmentally sensitive areas to pass into the hands of foreign investors.
Under the slogan “Albania Is Not for Sale,” thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets in Tirana, Vlorë, and other cities in recent weeks, demanding that the developments be halted.
The controversy has also attracted international attention because of the involvement of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. The couple have previously spoken publicly about discovering Sazan Island during a visit to Albania and seeing significant tourism potential in the largely undeveloped location.
Tensions escalated further at the end of May when clashes were reported between demonstrators and private security personnel near the Zvernec area, increasing pressure on the Albanian authorities and helping propel the issue onto the European stage.
As public opposition grew, the European Commission stepped into the debate.
Commission spokesman Guillaume Mercier confirmed that Brussels is closely monitoring both projects and reminded Albania that compliance with EU environmental legislation, including the Birds and Habitats Directives, is a requirement for countries seeking membership of the bloc.
The Commission also highlighted Chapter 27 of the accession negotiations, covering environmental and climate policies, and called on Albania to phase out elements of a strategic investment framework introduced in 2015 that has allowed certain projects to be fast-tracked.
For supporters of the developments, the intervention illustrates the extent to which Brussels can influence domestic policy decisions in countries seeking membership.
Rama’s government has insisted that both investments will proceed. Yet the dispute has now moved beyond Albania’s coastline and into a wider debate about foreign investment, national sovereignty, and the influence Brussels exercises over countries seeking to join the European Union.
