Kushner‑backed luxury project in Albania becomes a litmus test for EU accession green standards

by · EUobserver

It’s been 45 days of continued protest on Albania’s streets in response to a Trump family-backed €1.6bn resort in a protected environmental area (Source: AM Production)

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By Gaia Neiman,
Brussels
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Concerning issues in Albania’s rule-of-law are being exposed through the cracks of the so-called ‘Flamingo Revolution’ affair – and far beyond nature conservation – to the extent that its EU accession may be at stake.

It’s been 45 days of continued protest on Albania’s streets in response to a Trump family-backed €1.6bn resort in a protected environmental area.

The movement’s strength caused a pause in construction and expressions of concern from European institutions as the Balkan nation faces its last hurdles for EU membership. 

As the EU finalised talks for three more of its 33 negotiating chapters with Albania during an accession conference on Tuesday (14 July), the European Parliament’s committee on the environment debated how Albanian membership can go ahead with the issue of conservation still looming.

Greek-Albanian MEP Fredis Beleris from the majority European People’s Party spoke on how the newly-closed chapters on science and research, education and culture, and external relations, give the wrong idea on Europe’s priorities with regards to Albania.

“The message that we’re sending out to the society is that we’re doing the government a favour, we’re doing prime minister Edi Rama a favour, and that the Albanian people don’t matter,” he told the environment committee on Tuesday.

Roma, socialist leader of Albania, was accused of altering a ban on construction in protected areas in 2024 that allowed for luxury hotels as the sole exception. 

The EU commission has already urged Tirana to revoke the controversial law, together with one on strategic investments that has allowed for development projects like this to move forward, before the benchmarks of EU environmental policies can be met.

The only concrete measure announced on the part of the commission was a full environmental impact assessment, to be delivered by the Albanian government. No action has been taken on the front of illegal building.  

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It’s been 45 days of continued protest on Albania’s streets in response to a Trump family-backed €1.6bn resort in a protected environmental area (Source: AM Production)

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Gaia Neiman is a migration and politics reporter at the EUobserver. She has previously written for Reuters, The Guardian, The Telegraph, among others.

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