TIRANA — Thousands of demonstrators have filled the streets of Tirana for more than a month in the largest unrest Albania has seen since the fall of communism, driven by opposition to a multibillion-euro luxury tourism development on the Adriatic coast. The protests, now in their 39th day, began on 23 May in the village of Zvërnec over plans to build more than 6,000 luxury villas on Sazan Island and the Zvërnec peninsula, a nature reserve hosting over 2,500 species.
The project is backed by U.S. investor Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, with the total investment estimated at 4 to 5 billion euros. A 2024 legal amendment championed by Prime Minister Edi Rama's government opened protected coastal zones to five-star construction. The movement has demanded the project's cancellation, the integration of the Vjosa River delta into a national park, and Rama's resignation.
Tensions flared on 30 May when company security personnel beat a protester at the construction site. Members of the European Parliament have called for an immediate halt to construction in fragile areas, while the European Commission reminded Tirana it must align with EU environmental law ahead of a projected 2030 accession.