New EU enlargement hurdle for Albania over Trump son-in-law’s beach resort plans

Albania’s EU membership bid has hit a new bump in the road over a luxury coastal resort project linked to Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law.

Protests, riots, property disputes and an anti-corruption probe in a predominantly Greek-speaking region have turned the tourism development into an added complication for Tirana’s longstanding efforts to join the EU.

Speaking alongside António Costa, the European Council president, in the Albanian capital, Prime Minister Edi Rama rejected calls to halt the project.

“There is no chance for the investment to halt for as long as I am in this office,” Rama said.

Controversy over the resort combines environmental concerns, unresolved land claims, ownership transparency questions, and Albania’s efforts to convince EU capitals that its rule-of-law and environment reforms are being implemented in practice.

Albania’s anti-corruption prosecution office, SPAK, has confirmed it has opened an investigation linked to the case. Local reporting has focused on land ownership issues and changes to the protected status of the Vjosa-Narta landscape, an ecologically sensitive coastal area near Vlorë.

The area is part of a protected coastal landscape and an important habitat for birds, including flamingoes, as well as species such as sea turtles. Critics say large-scale luxury development there could undermine Albania’s EU environmental obligations.

Costa avoided commenting directly on the resort, but stressed that Albania’s accession process depends on implementation, not only legal alignment.

“In the accession process, Albania is expected to align its environmental legislation fully with the European acquis [body of law], like in other areas,” Costa said. “It is not only to translate to Albanian law the European acquis; it is also to implement in Albania the European acquis.”

In 2024, shortly before Trump’s second election victory, Kushner said he was looking at resort investments in Albania. A company called Zvërnec South Adriatic Development, linked to Kushner and Ivanka Trump, is reportedly planning investments on the Albanian Riviera exceeding €4 billion.

Rama defended the development as part of Albania’s shift towards high-end tourism.

“If a tourist pays €2,000 a night, then it is the cook, the driver, the fisherman, the farmer, the developer, and the local businesses that benefit,” he said, insisting that Albania would meet European environmental protection standards.

Rama has recently signalled a willingness to compromise to ensure his country’s place in the EU. Last week, Rama said that Albania would be happy to join the bloc on less favourable terms – at least at the beginning of its membership.

Meanwhile, during riots over the resort on Monday, a member of the Greek minority in Albania was injured, prompting a strong reaction from the Greek foreign ministry. Athens warned Tirana that the property rights of the Greek minority in the region must be protected and stressed that this would be a key factor in Albania’s path towards EU membership.

(bw, aw)

Sarantis Michalopoulos contributed reporting