MEP Accuses Albania of Racing Trump-Linked Resort Past EU Rules

A Dutch MEP has accused Albanian prime minister Edi Rama of "sneaky and disloyal" practices to push through a luxury Trump-linked resort on the country's Adriatic coast. Tineke Strik told The Guardian that Rama is deliberately fast-tracking the development so it clears permitting before Albania, an EU candidate country expected to join the bloc by 2030, becomes legally bound by EU environmental rules.

The resort is backed by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, the son-in-law and daughter of Donald Trump. Kushner first revealed the project in 2024, and in May this year Ivanka Trump discussed it in a podcast interview, calling it "almost daunting in its size".

The plans call for thousands of luxury villas on ecologically sensitive sites including Sazan, Albania's only island, and Vjosa-Narta, a wetland known for its pink flamingos. The project aims to establish Albania as a major global tourism destination.

Berlin studio Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (LAVA) is believed to currently be developing the project, according to a report by US media company The Architect's Newspaper. The same report ascertained that BIG, Kengo Kuma & Associates, Ateliers Jean Nouvel, K-studio and Emre Arolat Architecture had previously been commissioned to develop its framework. BIG has since said it is no longer involved.

Who is saying what?

The Albanian government has drawn fire for passing a law allowing so-called "strategic investors" to build in protected landscapes. The European Parliament pressed the government to repeal that law in June.

Strik accused Rama of "trying to help realise the megalomaniacal luxury resort plans of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner". Her words were blunt.

"I accuse Rama of serving his own interests and the interests of Kushner and not the interests of the environment and the Albanian people," she told the Guardian.

"The government clearly intends to finalise the procedures before it is legally bound by EU standards," she continued. "Such sneaky and disloyal practices should be strongly criticised by the EU. If Albania seriously wants to be a reliable candidate member state, it should respect EU law and not try to circumvent it."

Strik also suggested the government's actions could compromise the country's EU accession process.

What is the Flamingo Revolution?

The accusations land amid escalating anti-government protests in the capital, Tirana. They build on months of peaceful demonstrations linked to the Flamingo Revolution, an environmental movement that began in June after groundworks started on the resort. The movement takes its name from the protected flamingo species found in the landscapes earmarked for development.

"If the Albanian government had taken the 'Flamingo Revolution' seriously, we wouldn't be here," Strik said.

The project's backers and its critics paint sharply different pictures of its environmental impact. The Guardian reported that Kushner has claimed the goal is "to build to the highest design and environmental standards and leave this extraordinary part of Albania greener, more biodiverse and environmentally stronger".

An ecologist at BirdLife Albania, among those raising concerns, told the BBC the project "would completely destroy that wild region".

Rama, for his part, has framed his government's building agenda in idealistic terms. "I am a big believer in architecture and the power of architecture to influence the way we live," he said in an exclusive interview with Dezeen.

"I think that for a country like Albania, good architecture is an uplifting presence – it's a source of extra energy for the society and for the way we envisage our future," Rama said.

What does this change for the resort? With the European Parliament already demanding repeal of the strategic-investor law and accession talks advancing toward a 2030 target, Albania now faces a direct tension between the project's timeline and the environmental obligations that come with membership.