Albanian villagers clash with Kushner-backed resort over land and coast

A seafront fence has become a test of Albanian law. When Kostaq Konomi went to land he says is his near Zvernec, he found barbed wire and men in black uniforms barring his way, while the broader coastal tract was being folded into a luxury resort plan tied to Jared Kushner’s investment interests.

The dispute reaches far beyond one parcel. Reuters said it could not determine who rightfully owns the disputed plots because they are wrapped in an ongoing legal fight, and it found no evidence of wrongdoing by Kushner, who is not directly involved in the ownership case. But for villagers in southern Albania, the issue is whether a politically visible project moved ahead on land that remains unresolved on paper and contested on the ground.

The site sits inside the Vjosa-Narta protected area on Albania’s Adriatic coast, a wetland landscape known for flamingos, seals and sea turtle nesting sites. That setting has turned the development into a fight over more than title deeds: environmental groups and local residents say the coast should be protected, not converted into a resort footprint that would reshape access to the shoreline.

The stakes grew after Affinity Partners, Kushner’s firm, announced in 2024 plans for two major projects in Albania, a $1.4 billion resort on Sazan Island and a separate $4.7 billion project on the Zvernec coastline near Vlora, with capacity for up to 10,000 hotel rooms. Albanian officials have told POLITICO that no final project proposal has been submitted and no construction permit has been approved, even as protesters argue the project is already damaging a sensitive landscape.

Public anger has spread nationwide. Thousands marched in Tirana on June 10 in the largest demonstration yet against the development, and the movement has been nicknamed the Flamingo Revolution in a nod to the protected area’s birdlife. In one protest, around 200 demonstrators tore down metal and razor-wire fencing at a coastal development site, chanting that Albania is not for sale.

The row has also become a referendum on how Albania handles powerful investors and unfinished property claims. POLITICO reported that the European Commission warned the project could conflict with EU environmental rules and has pressed Tirana to align with Birds and Habitats Directive standards during accession talks. Brussels has also long criticized Albania’s 2015 Strategic Investments law, which gives favored projects fast-track treatment and, critics say, risks bypassing the safeguards that should apply whether the investor is local, foreign or politically connected.