Overview
- Visible site works in late May, including barbed wire and bulldozers on protected beaches, triggered nightly mass protests that have continued in Tirana and other towns since early June.
- Protesters carry pink flamingos as a symbol and demand cancellation of the project and Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation as a protest against perceived corruption and opaque land deals.
- The proposed development includes a small resort on Sazan Island and coastal construction in the Vjosa‑Narta/Narta Lagoon area, which conservationists say would harm flamingos, Dalmatian pelicans, monk seals and sea‑turtle nesting sites.
- Critics point to a February 2024 law (Law 21/2024) that lets the National Territory Council greenlight large tourism projects in protected zones, and Albania’s anti‑corruption prosecutor SPAK has opened an investigation into land transfers and ownership links.
- The government has acknowledged Jared Kushner’s involvement and defends the investment as economically important, while EU institutions and environmental groups warn the dispute could affect Albania’s EU accession benchmarks and local livelihoods.