By Alison Durkee, Forbes / Continuing environmental concerns over Jared Kushner’s resort development plans in Albania could derail the Balkan country’s bid to join the European Union, after European Commission officials in Brussels confirmed Tuesday that they have warned the Albanian government that the project could violate EU environmental rules.
Kushner and his private equity fund Affinity Partners, along with his wife Ivanka Trump, are negotiating with the Albanian government to build luxury resorts on the island of Sazan and in another special area on the Albanian coast.
The project has sparked widespread environmental concerns and protests, given the potential threats the resorts could pose to local wildlife and protected areas, which has drawn the attention of the European Commission as Albania seeks to secure EU membership.
European Commission spokesman Guillaume Mercier confirmed at a press conference on Tuesday that officials warned the Albanian government that the project could conflict with environmental standards that any country seeking to join the EU must meet.
The European Commission has specifically noted changes Albania made in 2024 to make it easier to develop tourism on environmentally protected land – which helped make Kushner’s construction possible – and Mercier said Albania must comply with EU rules, such as the directive to protect birds and wildlife areas.
Mercier claimed that the Albanian environment minister has suspended construction while an environmental impact assessment is being conducted, but the Albanian government has disputed this statement, telling Politico on Sunday that construction cannot be suspended because no final plan has yet been approved and thus construction has not yet begun.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has also vowed to move forward with the project despite the European Commission’s concerns, telling Reuters on Monday: “It will be a beautiful project and we will do it and we will be proud to contribute to Europe.”
“Let me emphasize that Albania must refrain from actions that could undermine the fulfillment of the chapter closing criteria, and we expect the Albanian authorities to act without delay,” Mercier told reporters on Tuesday, referring to the benchmark that Albania must achieve to meet EU environmental standards and conclude negotiations.
Rama downplayed the European Commission’s environmental concerns to Reuters on Monday, claiming that the resort development would comply with environmental regulations and pledging a full environmental impact assessment.
“We are very proud of what we have done for wildlife in Albania,” Rama said. “The European Commission has no reason to doubt that our firm will protect everything that needs to be protected when it comes to wildlife and nature.”
The prime minister has stood firm in the face of protests against the Kushner project, which are increasingly calling for Rama’s resignation. “I was voted in to make these things happen,” Rama said Monday of moving forward with the development project. “I was not voted in to be led by people who have a different idea of how to develop the country.”
Kushner’s project is in the very early stages and could take up to 10 years to complete, having been given preliminary approval in December 2024 — shortly after President Donald Trump’s re-election. If the protests derail the project, it would follow Kushner’s other planned Balkan project, a Trump-branded property in Belgrade, Serbia, which was canceled in 2025 after government officials faced corruption charges related to approving the investment. (They have denied wrongdoing.)
When can Albania join the EU?
Albania could complete its negotiations with Brussels by 2027 and join the bloc by 2030, Rama has previously predicted.
Kushner’s planned $1.4 billion island deal and $4.7 billion coastal investment deal come as the president’s son-in-law has been increasingly in touch with foreign governments through his Affinity fund, which was founded after Trump’s first term.
His business deals have raised concerns about governments trying to curry favor with the Trump administration, including in Albania, where the timing of his project’s approval so soon after the election has raised doubts.
Protests against Kushner’s planned luxury resorts — which the developer told The Guardian would be a “very high-end luxury product” — have intensified in recent weeks, as construction signs appeared in the area and after videos went viral showing private security guards using violence against protesters. (The Albanian government has suspended the firms and one guard has been arrested.)
In addition to concerns raised by the European Commission, an anti-corruption investigation has also been opened into the project, also based on changes to the 2024 law that the Commission has described as problematic. It is not clear how long this investigation could last./LAPSI.al