Albania faces sustained protests over Kushner-linked coastal resort development as EU lawmakers call for construction halt

A luxury coastal resort in Albania linked to Jared Kushner has triggered the country's largest recent protests, with demonstrators demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation. The project, planned for a nationally protected lagoon under EU rules, faces legal challenges and a call from EU lawmakers to halt construction amid concerns over environmental damage, government corruption, and a complex financial structure involving shell companies.

Protests and Public Opposition

• ▪A luxury resort development in Albania linked to Jared Kushner has prompted the largest political demonstrations in the country's recent history
• ▪European lawmakers have urged Albania to halt construction on the Kushner-linked project
• ▪Protesters have gathered daily in Tirana since the beginning of June 2026, calling for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign

Project Details and Key Actors

• ▪The proposed resort includes plans for up to 10,000 rooms, which critics describe as a new city rather than an environmental project
• ▪The project is planned for Sazan, an uninhabited island, and a 5-mile stretch of beachfront in Zvernec, along Albania's Adriatic coast
• ▪A statement said Jared Kushner's firm, Affinity Partners, has no role, but that partners are involved as investors in their personal capacity

Environmental and Legal Concerns

• ▪Two years ago, Prime Minister Edi Rama's government passed a law that removed the ecosystem's protection to allow for five-star hotel construction
• ▪The land is protected under the European Union's Natura 2000 network, and Albania is a candidate for EU membership
• ▪The resort would be built in the Vjose-Narte lagoon, a nationally protected area that is home to 250 species of birds, including flamingos
• ▪Environmental organizations have filed legal challenges against the Albanian government, arguing the development violates Albanian and EU laws

Financial Structure and Investigation

• ▪The firm under investigation is owned by Qatari brothers Moutaz and Ramez Al-Khayyat, who are helping to finance and build the resort
• ▪On June 2, 2026, Albanian prosecutors froze the bank accounts of a firm that purchased land for the project amid an investigation into fraudulent property titles
• ▪An investigation traced the project's ownership through a series of shell companies in the Netherlands, some worth a single euro

Official Government Response

• ▪A spokesperson for Albania's prime minister said the government's ambition is to create a "new benchmark for sustainable Mediterranean development."
• ▪The Albanian government has given the project preliminary approval