The European Parliament has approved in today’s session the resolution on the report on Albania for 2025, with 483 votes in favor, signaling clear political support for the country’s European integration process.
While most of the draft was the same as the one approved a short while ago in the Foreign Affairs Committee, MEPs were faced with two amendments on construction in protected areas, given the recent developments in Zvërnec and the statements about the investment in Sazan.
It is learned that initially, the members of the European Parliament rejected an amendment by seven left-wing MEPs, including radical MEPs, who wanted to include in the final version of the resolution a raising of concern about the Albanian government’s agreement with Jared Kushner’s company Affinity Partners.
“The European Parliament therefore expresses concerns regarding the government’s agreement with Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners company for the development of a luxury resort project in Sazan and the Vjosa-Narta protected area; calls for support for the anti-corruption investigation currently being conducted by SPAK in this context; demands that the right to protest peacefully be guaranteed against repression by private security companies, as occurred during the clashes that occurred at the end of May 2026,” the amendment rejected at the meeting of deputies states.
After this moment, 13 MEPs from the Green group proposed an amendment, which, among other things, calls for the establishment of a moratorium on construction permits in protected areas until the law for these areas is repealed.
“The European Parliament calls on the Albanian authorities to immediately impose a moratorium on all new permit granting procedures, construction works and development interventions within protected areas until the incompatible provisions of the amended Law on Protected Areas have been repealed, based on a long-standing request by the Commission and Parliament and in accordance with the closing criteria of Chapter 27, and until full compliance with EU standards for nature protection is ensured,” the adopted amendment states.
Amendment defeated
The European Parliament therefore expresses concerns regarding the government’s agreement with Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners to develop a luxury resort project in Sazan and the Vjosa-Narta protected area; calls for support for the anti-corruption investigation currently being conducted by SPAK in this context; demands that the right to protest peacefully be guaranteed against repression by private security companies, as occurred during the clashes that occurred at the end of May 2026.
Amendment accepted
46a. Expresses serious concern that ongoing developments within the Vjosa nature protection area demonstrate the practical consequences of these legal changes and the risks they pose for areas of recognised ecological value; follows closely the ongoing peaceful protests in this regard; calls on the Albanian authorities to immediately impose a moratorium on all new permit granting procedures, construction works and development interventions within the protected areas until the incompatible provisions of the amended Law on Protected Areas have been repealed, based on a long-standing request from the Commission and Parliament and in line with the closing criteria of Chapter 27, and until full compliance with EU standards for nature protection is ensured; underlines that any project in this area should be subject to comprehensive environmental impact assessments, fully in line with EU standards, including a transparent process of public participation with local communities, scientists and civil society.