Albania's Mega Resort: Promoting the Economy or Paving over Human Rights?

Human Rights Research Center

3 minutes ago

5 min read

Author: Anonymous

November 5, 2026

Adults with pink flamingo cut-outs and children painting at a protest on Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard in Tirana, June 21, 2026 [Image source: Albinfo/Wikimedia Commons]

In December 2024, the Strategic Investment Committee granted Atlantic Incubation Partners LLC—an affiliate of the private equity firm Affinity Partners—"Strategic Investor with Special Procedure"¹ status for the next 10 years. This decision came just days after the island of Sazan was removed from the Armed Forces' Deployment and Expansion Plan, erasing its designation as a military training area and allowing commercial development to proceed.²

Though environmental organizations have protested the development since then (in 2024), protests did not become multi-city-wide until May 2026, when Affinity Partners' $1.6–$4 billion plan involving 10,000 hotel rooms, villas, and a marina actually materialized into barbed-wire fencing on a small public beach near Zvrënec. Security personnel were stationed along the new barrier. After encountering local protesters on May 30th, the guards used physical violence to secure the site, such as using pepper spray on peaceful protesters and journalists. The government had officially shifted from ignoring critics to suppressing dissent with force. Since then, the localized fight against unwanted construction on Albania's coastline has expanded into statewide, nightly rallies in the capital city, Tirana.

Alongside concerns of environmental degradation and displacement of residents associated with the project, Albanians are concerned with cultural exploitation.

The project's concept links a proposed luxury resort in Sazan to proposed luxury villas in Zverev (Narta Delta), with developers installing fences to keep locals out of these public spaces, mostly beaches. Sazan is Albania's largest island, spanning 1,400 acres and containing about 3,600 bunkers. Under communist dictator Enver Hoxha (1944-1985), it became a military fortress, remaining off-limits to civilians until 2015. The island stands as a reminder of Albania's history of oppression and dictatorship.

Western investors often frame Sazan as a blank slate for development, overlooking its cultural value. In 2024, Ivanka Trump said on a podcast:

"We swam to the island, we went on a hike, barefoot all the way up to the top, and we were just captivated... we have this 1,400-acre private island in the Mediterranean, and we're bringing in the best architects and the best brands."³

Prime Minister Edi Rama has openly declared his approval of this development, once claiming, "Albania can't afford not to exploit a gift like Sazan,"⁴ and that the country "needs [luxury tourism] like a desert needs water."⁵ The so-called "desert" is actually the Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape– an ecological sanctuary for thousands of animals, including pink flamingos.

Concerns of cultural and public property exploitation go hand in hand with Albanians' growing discomfort with the lack of transparency from state officials.

Despite bulldozers clearing the coast, Rama has dismissed concerns about destroyed habitats. He insists that environmental threats are "nonexistent" and "the local wildlife and flamingos will remain fully protected." Responding to criticism about public consultation and possible breaches of international law, Rama claims the project will "strictly adhere to European Union standards" after legal environmental reviews. He has accused protesters of "weaponizing environmentalism for domestic political struggles."

The project's ecological integrity is further questioned by deliberate changes to Albania's environmental laws before it began under Rama's parliament. In February 2024, Parliament passed Law No. 21/2024, allowing luxury resorts in protected zones and granting the Kushner-linked project "strategic investment" status, bypassing public consultation and the Aarhus Convention.⁶ Albania's independent anti-corruption prosecutorial agency, SPAK (Special Structure against Corruption and Organized Crime)⁷ is investigating how Zvërnec land values increased from €5.5 million to €122 million in only a few months.

Following the 2024 policy amendment, Rama spent 2025 and 2026 promoting the investment to Albanian citizens, urging that 'ordinary' people would eventually reap its financial benefits:

"We would be the ones ranking first in wages, pensions, and other income—all thanks to the luxury tourism industry. Those who say we can't afford to visit such resorts fail to realize that these resorts and hotels are engines of the national economy. They are the reason farmers, fishermen, bus operators, and taxi drivers find more work. The state collects more tax revenue. This is the project facing such absurd resistance…" (Trans.)

In July, thousands blocked the bridge to the Zvërnec pine forest, where police used water cannons to disperse them. By August, the Rapid Intervention Department (FNSH)⁸ secured the site, while human rights groups reported dozens of arbitrary detentions and raids on activists' homes in Vlorë for disturbing the public peace.

Observers say these crackdowns violate international law, including the freedoms of speech and assembly under Articles 19 and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Albania is sidelining its international obligations in favor of foreign real estate interests. Human rights observers urge UN and EU intervention. For now, the Flamingo Revolution remains the main obstacle to privatizing Albania's natural heritage.

Glossary

Aarhus Convention: International treaty ensuring public access to environmental information, participation, and justice.
Arbitrary: Based on random choice or personal whim rather than reason or law.
Armed Forces' Deployment and Expansion Plan: State plan that decides the location and use of military lands/bases; formally Plani i Përhapjes dhe Dislokimit used by the Albanian Ministry of Defense.
Breaches: Violations of a law, promise, or legal obligation.
Cultural Displacement: Loss of local traditions, community identity, or heritage due to outside changes.
Cultural Exploitation: Misusing or taking elements of a local culture for profit without permission or respect.
Degradation: The process of ruining or wearing down the quality of the environment.
Displacement: When people have to flee the area they reside in and/or their homes due to external events/factors out of their control..
Dissent: Holding or expressing opinions at odds with official policy or the government.
Economic Displacement: Loss of assets or income due to land use changes, without physical relocation.
Exploitation: Using resources or people unfairly for profit or advantage.
Flamingo Revolution: Mass Albanian protests in 2026 against a luxury resort in a protected wetland, focused on corruption and environmental issues.
ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights): Major global treaty protecting core human freedoms like the right to peaceful protest and free speech.
Obligations: Legal or moral duties that a country or person must fulfill.
Oppression: Cruel and/or unjust exercise of authority or power.
Rapid Intervention Department (FNSH): Albania's specialized tactical branch responsible for countering civil unrest and dealing with civil emergencies.
Reap: To receive or harvest a reward, benefit, or consequence as a result of an action.
Sanctuary: A safe place of safety or protection, especially for wildlife.
SPAK: Albanian judicial body investigating high-level corruption and organized crime.
Strategic Investment Committee: Government body chaired by Edi Rama that approves and expedites large-scale foreign investments in Albania.
Suppressing: Forcibly putting an end to something, such as silencing citizen protests.
Transparency: Operating openly and clearly so that the public can easily see what actions are being taken.
Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape: Key wetland in southwestern Albania, known for its lagoon, endangered species, and diverse birdlife.

Footnotes

Legal designation by Albania’s government that expeditates official approvals for extensive development. https://citizens.al/en/2025/01/16/from-visitor-to-strategic-investor-how-Jared-Kushner-secured-Sazan/
Under Presidential Decree No. 398, signed 2024, Albanian President Bajram Begaj officially excluded the "Sazan Naval Training and Firing Area, Vlora" from the active military jurisdiction and the Armed Forces' Deployment and Expansion Plan. See; https://www.tiranatimes.com/kushner-granted-strategic-investor-status-for-sazan-development-ahead-of-trumps-inauguration/, and https://politiko.al/english/e-tjera/bajram-begaj-firmosi-ne-fshehtesi-dekretet-per-ishullin-e-sazanit-i523443.
Ivanka Trump, “On Building an Authentic Life” interview with Davrid Senra, 2026. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhsiMd9ZFNk
Rama to The Guardian, in a 2025 interview: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/24/trump-family-kushner-undeveloped-island-mediterranean-sazan-albania
Rama to the Financial Times, referenced by BalkanInsight: https://balkaninsight.com/2025/01/22/albanian-pm-accused-of-ceding-island-to-curry-favour-with-trump/bi/
Aarhus Convention. See Article 6: Public Participation in Decisions on Specific Activities; Article 8: Public Participation During the Preparation of Executive Regulations and/or Generally Applicable Legally Binding Normative Instruments; Article 9: Access to Justice
In Albanian: Struktura e Posaçme Kundër Korrupsionit dhe Krimit të Organizuar, SPAK.
Specialized tactical unit for civil emergencies. In Albanian: Forcat e Ndërhyrjes së Shpejtë, FNSH.

References

HRRC accepts NO funding from governments for our research or campaigns. At every step of the way, our impact is made possible because of people like YOU. Make your contribution now!

Albania's Mega Resort: Promoting the Economy or Paving over Human Rights?

Recent Posts