Urge Albania to halt construction

European lawmakers urge Albania to halt construction on Kushner-linked project

Lawmakers adopted a resolution calling for an immediate moratorium on new permits and construction in the country’s protected areas.

By Jakob Weizman

The European Parliament on Wednesday urged Albania to suspend construction in protected areas, piling pressure on Prime Minister Edi Rama over a proposed Jared Kushner-linked luxury resort that has sparked the country’s largest protests in decades.

Albania has seen 18 days of continuous protests, dubbed "The Flamingo Revolution," over the project, as well as demonstrations organized by the diaspora in the U.S., UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Australia. Calls to halt the project and repeal crucial laws on investments and protected areas have been accompanied by demands that Rama resign.

“The flamingo protest shows that citizens care about protecting the environment and joining the EU. We will stand with them, supporting their protest against Trump allies who exploit their natural heritage and supporting their journey towards the EU,” said Dutch MEP Tineke Strik, shadow lawmaker from the Greens–European Free Alliance group for the Commission’s 2025 report on Albania.

Lawmakers in Strasbourg adopted their resolution on the 2025 Commission Report on Albania, which, among other things, called for an immediate moratorium on new permits and construction in protected areas. While an earlier amendment had mentioned the proposed Kushner development, this was rejected, with the adopted version not mentioning any specific project.

The move echoes the Commission’s own warnings in its report and in recent weeks that Albania risks losing momentum in its EU accession process if it presses ahead without an environmental impact assessment.

The European Parliament and Commission are also pressuring Albania to reverse changes to its protected areas law and repeal its strategic investments law, which opened the door to development projects such as Kushner's.

"Europe should pay close attention to what is happening in Albania. There is no better guarantee for the path toward accession to the European Union than a living, conscious people capable of mobilizing against predatory capitalism, in defense of justice, the commons and freedom," said Italian MEP Ilaria Salis during a debate on Tuesday.

Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos told reporters on Monday that she was given "assurance from the Government of Albania that a full environmental impact assessment will be carried out and that European environmental standards will be respected."

She also pointed out that Albania "is one of the frontrunners in the enlargement process and has made important progress on environmental protection."

Rama reacted to the resolution in a post on Instagram, criticizing it and those who started the recent protests and insisting that "flamingos will be protected, Vjose-Narta will be protected, Zvernec will be developed based on an Environmental Impact Assessment according to European Union standards."