Story perspectives

Albania Approves $1.4B Kushner Resort, Faces Huge Protests

6/22/2026

Summary

Story summary

Albanian parliament amended environmental laws to permit the Kushner-backed resort, with investors hidden in a Dutch shell.
Demonstrators marched with inflatable flamingos and “Albania is not for sale” slogans, drawing tens of thousands.
Activists say the resort threatens wetlands, migratory bird habitats and sea-turtle nesting on the Zvërnec peninsula.
Prime Minister Edi Rama calls the €1.4 billion project a job creator, despite opposition and EU officials warning it endangers EU accession.

History

Historical Context

Dubai began building the Palm Jumeirah in 2001 to expand tourism coastline, adding about 56 km of shore and prompting a coastal monitoring program that later recorded altered sediment, wave patterns and shoreline erosion. Nakheel’s project, mirrored later by other Gulf reclamations, sparked criticism from groups such as Greenpeace, illustrating how large-scale land-reclamation repeatedly raises environmental concerns.

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Story summary

Albanian parliament amended environmental laws to permit the Kushner-backed resort, with investors hidden in a Dutch shell.
Demonstrators marched with inflatable flamingos and “Albania is not for sale” slogans, drawing tens of thousands.
Activists say the resort threatens wetlands, migratory bird habitats and sea-turtle nesting on the Zvërnec peninsula.
Prime Minister Edi Rama calls the €1.4 billion project a job creator, despite opposition and EU officials warning it endangers EU accession.

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