Kenneth Glad
Large tourism plans have set off protests along Albania’s southern coast. The dispute now links environmental protection, foreign investment and the country’s EU path.
A luxury tourism project linked to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, daughter and son-in-law respectively of American president Donald Trump, has sparked major protests in Albania, where the anger is focused on Sazan island and the nearby Zvërnec and Pishë Poro-Narta coastal area, The Guardian reports.
The plans concern Albania’s only island and land near lagoons, dunes and habitats used by flamingos, monk seals, sea turtles and migratory birds.
Albanian authorities have promoted the project as a major foreign investment that could reshape tourism along the southern coast.
Anger reaches beyond nature
For many protesters, the issue is not only conservation. They see the development as part of a wider pattern of weak public accountability, disputed land decisions and political closeness to wealthy investors.
Ina Shkurti, a cartographer from the coastal city of Vlore, told the British newspaper that Sazan carries both personal and national meaning.
Located just across the bay from her hometown, the island has long been a familiar landmark for local residents and visitors alike.
She said the prospect of wealthy developers taking control of the island and limiting public access felt deeply unacceptable
. In her view, turning such a symbolic place into an exclusive resort would be “a crime.”
The Guardian reported that tensions escalated during a protest in Zvërnec on May 30, 2026, after private security blocked access near the development zone and a local landowner was filmed being dragged by guards while police did not intervene.
EU scrutiny adds pressure
Prime Minister Edi Rama has defended the project as a way to create jobs and strengthen Albania’s position in Mediterranean tourism.
His government says the plans will be reviewed under European environmental standards.
The European Commission has said, according to European Western Balkans, that Albania must respect environmental benchmarks during EU accession talks, including rules tied to Chapter 27 on environment and climate change.
That chapter covers areas such as nature protection, environmental impact assessments and climate policy.
European Parliament concerns have also focused on development inside the Vjosa-Narta protected area and whether Albania’s protected-zone rules match EU standards.
For critics, that attention shows the dispute is now tied directly to Albania’s credibility as a future EU member.
Development divides the coast
Supporters argue that high-end tourism can bring investment, infrastructure and work to a country still trying to keep young people from leaving.
They say Albania cannot rely only on low-cost tourism if it wants stronger long-term growth.
Opponents counter that the coastline is already under pressure from rapid construction, weak planning and seasonal overcrowding.
They argue that rare habitats should not be traded for resorts aimed mainly at wealthy foreign visitors.
Ornithologist Ledi Selgjekaj told The Guardian that construction in the wider area had already affected wildlife patterns, especially around the wetlands and lagoon habitats used by birds.
She said earlier building work had disrupted ecological corridors and changed how predators moved through the landscape, putting nesting birds at greater risk.
For Selgjekaj, the resort plans would add another layer of pressure to an already fragile environment. She warned that further resort building would be “the kiss of death.”
The outcome will shape more than one stretch of coast. It may also signal how Albania balances investment, public access and environmental promises as it moves closer to the EU.
Sources: The Guardian, European Western Balkans.
