Albania’s Prime Minister Stands by Trump Project—Protests Are Misguided

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama considers the protests in his country against a planned luxury resort in a protected area of the Adriatic coast to be misguided. The protesters were acting on false information, the prime minister told the German Press Agency (dpa) in Berlin.

“The facts show that there is no deal involving Sazan Island, while all the media are full of the falsehood that there is a deal and that the Kushners are getting the island and Albania is selling it,” Rama said. “It was never about a sale.”

Protest in Tirana on June 6: Tens of thousands take to the streets over a Trump family construction project worth billions.

Photo: Keystone/phi

Rama: Albania as a Platform for Anger Toward Trump

His government is still negotiating a joint venture to build Albania’s first luxury resort on the island. Rama confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is among the group of potential investors. “Albania has become a platform for anti-Trump anger around the world,” he said.

In the Balkan country, which is seeking EU membership, protests against the construction plans have been ongoing for weeks. Thousands also took to the streets in the capital, Tirana, leading to clashes with police. As part of a private project, a small peninsula near the town of Zvernec is also slated for development; its dunes shield the Narta Lagoon from the Mediterranean Sea. The area is protected as a refuge for many bird and animal species.

Mirela Kumbaro, the Albanian Minister of Tourism and Environment responsible for approving the project, told the British newspaper *The Guardian* that she had no reservations about the plan. On the contrary: she expressly supports the project. Investors Donald Trump and his son-in-law will also benefit from it. As so-called “strategic investors,” they are exempt from taxes during the construction phase. In addition, the Albanian government will provide the necessary infrastructure, including water, electricity, and sewage services.

Kumbaro described the project as important for the country’s economic development. She noted that Albania cannot compete with neighboring countries such as Croatia, Greece, or Italy in mass tourism because it lacks the necessary infrastructure. Instead, the government is focusing on expanding luxury tourism.

Construction fences are gone again

However, initial exploratory excavation work has been halted again, and construction fences have been removed. “There has been no official decision to suspend the preliminary work. But there is a temporary pause because it is impossible to continue under this pressure and brutality,” said Rama.

The prime minister emphasized that no building permits have been filed for either Sazan or Zvernec so far. Of course, environmental assessments will be conducted. According to his government’s statement, construction in both areas may proceed in a moderate and ecologically sensitive manner.

EU Nature Conservation Rules to Apply

Environmentalists criticize the 2024 amendment to the law on protected areas. The government in Tirana calls this a clarification of the protection status. However, in its country reports, the EU spoke of a deterioration in protection. 

Rama, on the other hand, says: “There is no way that a candidate country negotiating imminent membership with the European Union could carry out a project of any size without an environmental impact assessment in full compliance with EU criteria.”