Overview
- The protests entered their seventh day on Saturday, with thousands gathering nightly in Tirana and hundreds traveling to Zvërnec and the Vjosa‑Narta reserve to oppose site work and fencing.
- Albania’s anti‑corruption prosecutor SPAK has opened an inquiry into 2024 approvals and land transfers tied to the project.
- The European Commission said the plan could jeopardize closing Chapter 27 on environment and climate change while Environment Minister Sofjan Jaupaj has reported construction is suspended and an environmental impact assessment will be done with civil‑society input.
- Conservation groups and scientists say the development threatens Vjosa‑Narta and Sazan Island habitats for flamingos, monk seals and nesting sea turtles, and activists point to late‑May heavy machinery, dune damage and viral video of an activist being dragged as catalysts for the protests.
- Prime Minister Edi Rama and the developers argue the investment would create jobs and boost tourism, but the controversy raises political risk for Tirana and could echo a recent Kushner‑linked project in Serbia that collapsed under legal scrutiny, so observers will be watching SPAK’s findings, the EIA and Brussels’ next moves.