{"id":114918,"date":"2026-07-02T13:53:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T13:53:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/?p=114918"},"modified":"2026-07-02T14:00:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T14:00:37","slug":"kushner-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/kushner-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Europe Warns Albania: Kushner Project Threatens to Ignite Tensions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Europe Warns Albania Over Kushner Project: “Playing with Fire” Could Jeopardize EU Accession<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The European Parliament has warned the Albanian authorities against proceeding with the tourism project led by Jared Kushner, widely referred to in the media as the “Ivanka Trump Island” project, arguing that it could hinder Albania’s path toward European Union membership amid growing public protests against the project and increasing European criticism over its environmental and legal implications.<\/p>\n

These warnings come as pressure mounts on the Albanian government, amid concerns that implementing the project in protected natural areas could cause severe environmental damage and undermine the standards required by the European Union for candidate countries.<\/p>\n

European Criticism and Warnings Over Environmental Consequences<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In this context, Tineke Strik, head of the European Parliament’s fact-finding mission to Albania, described the project, valued at approximately \u20ac1.4 billion, as “playing with fire,” warning that developing the country’s untouched coastal areas would cause significant environmental damage, particularly on the Zv\u00ebrnec Peninsula and Sazan Island, both of which enjoy special environmental protection.<\/p>\n

Speaking to the British newspaper The Guardian, Strik said that if Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama is serious about joining the European Union, he should immediately reconsider the project, adding that priority should be given to advancing the European accession process rather than pursuing controversial investment projects.<\/p>\n

These remarks follow a European Parliament resolution issued several weeks earlier calling for an immediate halt to construction activities within protected natural areas. The resolution also urged the repeal of legislation granting certain investors the status of “strategic investors” in wildlife reserves, arguing that such laws could open the door to investments that conflict with European environmental standards.<\/p>\n

Strik further stated that the preparatory work carried out so far\u2014including the clearing of parts of forests and sand dunes and the construction of new roads\u2014constitutes, in her view, a clear violation of European environmental legislation, particularly the requirements set out in Chapter 27 of Albania’s EU accession negotiations, which concerns environmental protection and climate change.<\/p>\n

Public Protests and a Test for Albania’s EU Membership Path<\/strong><\/h3>\n

These criticisms coincide with the expansion of public protests across Albania, where the country has witnessed large demonstrations dubbed by the media as the “Flamingo Revolution.” During the protests, thousands of demonstrators called for the cancellation of the project and the resignation of the Prime Minister, amid accusations that the government lacked transparency in issuing construction permits and allegations of corruption surrounding the project’s approval process.<\/p>\n

Despite the controversy, opinion polls continue to show overwhelming public support for Albania’s accession to the European Union, with approximately 92% of Albanians backing membership\u2014one of the highest levels of support recorded since the fall of the communist regime more than three decades ago.<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Edi Rama had previously announced his intention to conclude Albania’s EU accession negotiations by December 2027, a goal that European officials described as ambitious while welcoming Albania’s continued commitment to the reform process.<\/p>\n

At the conclusion of a four-day visit, the head of the European Parliament delegation praised what she described as the Albanian people’s broad commitment to European values. However, she also expressed dissatisfaction with remarks made by the country’s Minister of Environment, who suggested that work on the project could continue until Albania becomes formally bound by European legislation, arguing that such a position does not reflect the spirit of cooperation required between the two sides.<\/p>\n

Strik confirmed that the European Commission will continue to closely monitor the issue with the Albanian government at a time when Tirana is facing a politically and diplomatically sensitive test: balancing the attraction of foreign investment with adherence to its environmental and legal commitments, in order to ensure that its path toward European Union membership continues without additional obstacles.<\/p>\n

United News Network \u2013 UNN Arabic<\/strong><\/p>\n

An independent media platform providing reliable news and objective analysis, dedicated to promoting peace and cultural dialogue around the world by conveying the truth and building bridges of understanding among peoples.<\/p>\n

For more news, please visit our homepage:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/un-news.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Author:<\/strong> Counselor Faisal Al-Mutairi<\/p>\n

Publication Date:<\/strong> July 2, 2026<\/p>\n

Last Updated: July 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Europe Warns Albania Over Kushner Project: “Playing with Fire” Could Jeopardize EU Accession The European Parliament has warned the Albanian authorities against proceeding with the tourism project led by Jared Kushner, widely referred to in the media as the “Ivanka Trump Island” project, arguing that it could hinder Albania’s path toward European Union membership amid […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"tmauthors":[74],"class_list":{"0":"post-114918","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114918"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114918\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":114919,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114918\/revisions\/114919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114918"},{"taxonomy":"tmauthors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tmauthors?post=114918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}