The European Commission has warned Albania to avoid taking any action that could negatively affect its progress towards accession to the European Union, as protests against a luxury tourist resort linked to Jared Kushner continue in the southern part of the country.
Nationwide protests entered their seventh day on Sunday, as citizens demand the cancellation of a luxury resort project linked to US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. Opponents of the project argue that it endangers a protected nature reserve, a habitat for flamingos, Mediterranean monk seals and nesting sites for sea turtles.
The European Commission warns that the project could put Albania at risk of breaching EU environmental rules, jeopardising the closure of Chapter 27, which concerns the environment and climate change, in the accession negotiations.
The Commission spokesperson stated that Albania’s Minister for the Environment, Sofjan Jaupaj, had informed Brussels that work on the project had been suspended and that an environmental impact assessment would be carried out in collaboration with civil society.
“We have already expressed our concerns to the Minister for the Environment regarding the potential shortcomings of this project,” said the Commission spokesperson. The protests, known as the “Flamingo Revolution”, escalated over the weekend, whilst calls for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign are growing.
At the same time, the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into the changes made in 2024 to the area’s protection status and the land ownership regime.“The project is also the subject of ongoing investigations, which are reportedly going beyond environmental concerns,” the European Commission stated.
An article written by ERTNews, initially published on 8 June 2026 at 11:12 (CEST)