The Albanian government is facing widespread protests and criticism over plans for a Trump-linked luxury resort in an environmentally sensitive coastal region. The unrest, now in its sixth consecutive day, has seen clashes between student demonstrators and riot police in the capital, Tirana, leading to property damage and fires.
The project, backed by Prime Minister Edi Rama and linked to Jared Kushner, former senior advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, involves constructing up to 10,000 villas in parts of the Vjosa-Narta landscape. This area includes the last intact delta system in the Mediterranean, previously protected from development. The government passed new legislation enabling “strategic investors” to build in these zones, sparking significant backlash from environmentalists and the public.
Students have spearheaded the protests, which have escalated into violent confrontations with police, who have responded with rubber bullets and tear gas in efforts to disperse crowds. Demonstrators have targeted government buildings, banks, and businesses, some of which were set ablaze and looted. Protest leaders have vowed to continue until Rama resigns.
The protests have drawn criticism from Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), particularly Dutch MEP Tineke Strik, who accused the Albanian government of using “sneaky” methods to fast-track the project. Strik said the government ignored public opposition and sought to create irreversible conditions ahead of EU accession commitments. Albania, a candidate for EU membership, is under pressure to align with EU environmental standards, which the European Parliament deemed “non-negotiable” during a June resolution calling for the repeal of the contested law.
Strik, who led a fact-finding mission to Albania, said the government’s actions have damaged trust and warned that the ongoing unrest reflects widespread frustration with unmet demands for transparency and democratic governance. “The students are voicing the frustration of people who feel that they haven’t been listened to,” she said, underscoring the protests’ broader significance beyond environmental concerns.
Prime Minister Rama, elected to a fourth term last year, has framed the resort as a critical step toward economic development and EU integration by 2030. Speaking at a tourism forum in Brussels, he described the project as a way to transform Albania’s image and boost the economy by creating a high-end destination that would showcase the country’s natural assets.
Responding to Strik’s accusations, Rama dismissed claims of environmental disregard and criticized the European parliamentarian for appearing sympathetic to the protests, which he labeled violent. “The violence in Tirana is very real,” he said. “Instead of imagining environmental plots that do not exist, she could help Albania by condemning the violence she appears to appreciate.”
The project’s future remains uncertain as the government balances its development ambitions against mounting public dissent and growing international scrutiny on environmental and democratic grounds.