EU warns Albania that Kushner resort project could jeopardize EU membership bid

Topline

Ongoing environmental concerns over Jared Kushner’s planned resort development in Albania could undermine the Balkan country’s efforts to join the European Union. European Commission officials in Brussels confirmed Tuesday that they have warned the Albanian government the project may conflict with EU environmental rules.

Key Facts

• Kushner, his private equity fund Affinity Partners, and his wife Ivanka Trump are negotiating with the Albanian government to build luxury resorts on the island of Sazan and a separate area along the Albanian coast.

• The project has sparked widespread environmental concerns and protests due to potential threats to local wildlife and protected regions, drawing the attention of the European Commission as Albania seeks EU membership.

• European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier confirmed at a press conference Tuesday that officials warned the Albanian government the project could conflict with environmental benchmarks required for EU membership.

• The European Commission specifically pointed to changes Albania made in 2024 that eased tourism development on environmentally protected land—changes that helped enable Kushner’s construction. Mercier said Albania must comply with EU rules, including a directive to protect birds and wildlife areas.

• Mercier claimed the Albanian environmental minister has suspended construction pending an environmental impact assessment. However, the Albanian government disputed that account, telling Politico on Sunday that construction cannot be suspended because no final plan has been approved and construction has not yet begun.

• Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has vowed to proceed with the development despite the Commission’s concerns, telling Reuters on Monday: “It's going to be a beautiful project and we're going to do it and we're going to be proud to contribute to Europe.”

• “Let me stress that Albania should refrain from action that could undermine the fulfillment of the closing benchmark, and we expect the Albanian authorities to act without delay,” Mercier told reporters Tuesday, referring to the environmental standards Albania must meet to complete EU negotiations.

• Rama downplayed the Commission’s concerns to Reuters on Monday, claiming the resort would comply with environmental regulations and committing to a full environmental impact assessment. “We are very proud of what we have done for the wildlife in Albania,” Rama said. “The European Commission has no reason to doubt our firm will protect whatever has to be protected when it comes to wildlife and nature.”

• The Prime Minister has also stood firm against protests, which are increasingly calling for his resignation. “I was voted in to make these things happen,” Rama said Monday. “I’m not voted to be led by people that have a different idea of how to develop the country.”

• Kushner’s project remains in very early stages and could take up to 10 years to complete. It received preliminary approval in December 2024, shortly after President Donald Trump’s reelection. If protests disrupt the project, it would follow the cancellation of Kushner’s other planned Balkan project—a Trump-branded property in Belgrade, Serbia—in 2025, after government officials faced corruption charges linked to approving the development. (They have denied wrongdoing.)

• Rama has previously predicted Albania could complete its EU negotiations by 2027 and join the bloc by 2030.

• Kushner’s planned $1.4 billion island resort and $4.7 billion coastal development deal come as the president’s son-in-law has increasingly engaged with foreign governments.