Thousands protest in Albania over $1.4 billion luxury resort linked to Jared Kushner

Jun 1, 2026

Thousands are protesting in Albania against a $1.4 billion luxury resort linked to Jared Kushner planned for a protected coastal wetland. Environmentalists warn the project, which includes a resort on the former military island of Sazan, threatens habitats for flamingos and sea turtles. Prime Minister Edi Rama has vowed the project will proceed, while an anti-corruption agency has opened an investigation.

Albania coastal resort protests

▪Protesters gathered outside Prime Minister Edi Rama's office with signs reading "Nation is not for sale" and inflatable flamingos.
▪Thousands of Albanians protested in Tirana on June 2, 2026, against a planned luxury resort on the Adriatic coast.
▪Prime Minister Edi Rama has defended the project, vowing that there is "absolutely no chance that the investment will stop."
▪Protests began after developers erected large barbed-wire fences at the proposed site in Zvernec, near Vlora.
▪On May 30, 2026, several hundred protesters clashed with private security guards at the site, resulting in some injuries.

Kushner-Trump development project details

▪The project includes a coastal development in the Narta Lagoon area and a resort on the uninhabited island of Sazan.
▪The proposed luxury resort is a €1.4 billion ($1.6 billion) project led by Jared Kushner's investment firm, Affinity Partners.
▪An investment firm linked to Jared Kushner has been granted "special investor status" by Albanian authorities for the project.
▪Sazan island, part of the proposed development, is a former communist-era military base.

Protected wildlife habitat threats

▪Since late May 2026, heavy machinery has been clearing land and digging into sand within the protected area.
▪Environmental groups charge that the development is "irreversibly destroying" long-protected habitats.
▪The resort is planned near the Vjosa-Narta protected landscape, a wetland that is home to flamingos, seals, and sea turtles.
▪The Narta Lagoon area is a wildlife reserve and a key stopover for migratory birds along the Adriatic coast.

Land ownership disputes

▪The Albanian government states the land designated for the project is privately owned.
▪Competing legal claims have emerged that question the privatization of the land for the resort.

Anti-corruption investigation

▪Albania’s state anti-corruption agency has opened an investigation related to the coastal development project.
▪The anti-corruption agency has not disclosed any details about its investigation.

Serbia project collapse precedent

▪Serbia's prosecutor for organized crime charged four people, including a government minister, with abuse of office related to the Kushner-linked project in Belgrade.
▪Jared Kushner previously withdrew from a similar development project in Serbia in 2025 following street protests.