On June 9th, 2026, the European Commission issued a formal warning that would require Albania to align its environmental policies with that of the EU’s or else their bid for membership to the community would be at risk. This warning came after the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced that he would proceed with allowing a luxury resort to be built on the Adriatic coastline on a stretch that is protected by law. This resort development is backed by U.S. Senior Presidential Advisor Jared Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump, and is estimated to cost around $1.6 billion. The European Union has stated that Albanians could join the bloc’s membership by 2030, but it is contingent on the alignment of laws with that of the EU. The decision of the prime minister affects Albania’s ability to fulfill their benchmark requirements to aid their candidacy. As a result, protests have ensued for days. The protests grew from concerns for the environmental effects to a general concern with the Rama government and corruption while using flamingos as the symbol for the reaction.
In response, Albania’s SPAK agency, a team of special corruption prosecutors, opened a formal investigation into the factors of law that allowed for Prime Minister Rama to proceed with the approval for the resort. Additionally, the group the Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA) has been able to identify a point on the map that has seen the destruction of at least one sea turtle nest due to the use of bulldozers. PPNEA has documented that hundreds of wildlife species live in that area around the Vjosa Delta, the last free flowing Mediterranean river delta, including the sea turtles whose nests were destroyed. The protestors’ responses are based on these environmental violations, with many stressing that it feels as though the Albanian government is doing very little to protect and serve its people. Prime Minister Rama dismissed the concerns, stating that the European Commission has no reasons to hold doubts about Albanian membership based on environmental violations.
The fact that the initiative for the resort stems from the Kushners’ support represents how accountability becomes an afterthought when political and foreign influences interfere with ecologically sensitive locations, such as the Adriatic coast in Albania. In 2024, the Albanian Parliament passed legislation that would permit luxury developments in the Pishë Poro-Narta area and the Sazan Island. Despite this move being heavily condemned by environmental protection advocacy groups, Kushner was granted a special “strategic investor” status. This status essentially fast-tracks any approvals and permits tax incentives. This status makes for a legal manipulation for profit rather than true development. Environmental stability acts as a main catalyst for international peace and security, thus the destruction of Mediterranean coastlines and ecosystems for a resort that will cause displacement inherently erodes democratic norms, creating instability and inhibiting national peace. The EU must enforce consequences rather than a strong suggestion as means of aiding their democratic ideals and to help protect Albanian lands, people, and biodiversity.
The root of the issue, along with the 2024 ruling, stems from the preliminary approvals that Prime Minister Rama had done in December of 2024, in which he set aside around €5 billion for the development. Further, Ivanka Trump has voiced her support for the venture which has caused a negative public reaction when she described Sazan as the family’s “private island” that they “discovered.” Issues have also stemmed from the origins of the saved funds and its legality due to property disputes from the fall of communism in the country in the 1990s.
The movement—or the “Flamingo Revolution,” as Albanians are calling it—has transformed from an environmental fight to a fight for democracy and against corruption. The Albanians understand the link between the protection of the environment and democracy. Others around the world must understand this too in order to uphold peace globally through sustainable means and prevent investors from interfering in stability.
