Overview
- Local clashes began after developers erected barbed‑wire fences and brought excavators to Sazan Island and the Vjosa‑Narta coast, prompting large protests in Tirana and confrontations with private security and police using water cannon.
- Albania’s special anti‑corruption prosecutor, SPAK, has opened an investigation into land titles, the origin of funds and fast‑track approval procedures connected to the project.
- The development is tied to an investment vehicle linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump that was granted “strategic investor” status in 2024, a label that speeds approvals and has become a focus of transparency complaints.
- Developers say the plan will be a sustainable, job‑creating resort and stewardship project while the prime minister has defended the investment and said environmental assessments are ongoing.
- Environmental groups warn the plan would damage the Karaburun‑Sazan marine park and Vjosa‑Narta wetlands that host flamingos, monk seals and sea‑turtle nesting sites, and the protests have spread to Albanian diasporas abroad and could reshape investor scrutiny of protected areas.