The Albanian government reportedly announced it would suspend a real estate project led by the son-in-law of the US president Jared Kushner and his daughter Ivanka Trump to develop a luxury island resource as the EU warned the project could threaten Albania’s EU accession bid.

Albania’s Environment Minister Sofjan Jaupaj told the European Commission in Brussels that construction on the project has been suspended while an environmental impact assessment is conducted, Politico reports.

“We have already expressed our concerns to the minister of the environment about the potential shortcomings of this project,” an Environment Minister spokesperson said. Construction permits have not yet been issued, according to the Ministry. The project is also being investigated by the SPAK anti-corruption organ.

Despite the reports of the suspension, the status of the project remains uncertain. Large crowds have filled the streets of Tirana for a week in protest of the $4.7bn project and have refused to go home until the project is fully cancelled.

What has been dubbed the Flamingo Revolution, is now threatening Albania’s bid to join the EU, after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that the project was incompatible with EU accession criteria.

The Commission warned that the project could put Albania on a collision course with the EU’s environmental rules, jeopardizing its ability to close the green Chapter 27 in its accession talks.

“Albania should refrain from actions that could undermine the fulfillment of the closing benchmarks and [we] expect the Albanian authorities to act without delay,” a European Commission spokesperson told Politico in response to a question about the controversial proposed development.

“In the EU accession process, as part of the closing benchmarks for negotiating Chapter 27 on environment and climate change, Albania is expected to align fully with EU legislation in this area, including the Birds and the Habitats Directives,” said the spokesperson, urging that Albania repeal the changes to the Law on Protected Areas and “terminate” the law on strategic investments, Politico reports.

A similar project to build a Trump Tower in Serbia was cancelled in December, due to similar protests in that country.

The flamingo has become the mascot of intensifying protests as the development encroaches on the birds’ breeding ground on the island.

Ivanka claimed the couple had chosen the island after walking barefoot to the island's summit during a cruise of the region. In 2024 Kushner announced his private equity firm, Affinity Partners would develop a major luxury resort on Albania’s Sazan Island and the Zvernec coastline near Vlora, with the potential for up to 10,000 hotel rooms.

Rama long serving Prime Minister

Prime Minister Edi Rama has promoted the project which is part of his drive to boost Albania’s tourism industry that contributes a quarter of GDP and has been growing rapidly in recent years. Rama said last week that the ownership of the Sazan Island has already been transferred to Kushner and it is “no longer part of Albania’s territory.”

Rama has defied the protests saying that he will not backdown, but he increasingly runs the danger of the protests metamorphosing from a single issue into a general protest against his rule in a similar way to the Euromaidan protests that brought Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych down.

Rama said last week that he is ready to talk to protestors who have environmental concerns, but not to those who want to “promote anti-development stances.” He has repeatedly stated that the proposed investment will go ahead.

Rama has been Prime Minister since September 11, 2013, when he succeeded Sali Berisha. He was re-elected for a fourth term in 2025 and as of June 2026, he has been in office for 12 years and 9 months, making him one of Europe's longest-serving current heads of government.

The most recent parliamentary election was held on May 11, 2025. Rama's Socialist Party of Albania won approximately 53% of the vote and secured 83 of the 140 seats in parliament, giving him a comfortable majority. The next general election is due by June 3, 2029, although the exact date has not yet been set.

Supporters argue that he has overseen the most serious anti-corruption reforms in Albania's modern history, particularly the judicial reforms demanded by the EU and the creation of the Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK), which has investigated and prosecuted senior politicians, ministers, mayors and business figures. Albania's anti-corruption institutions are considerably stronger today than when Rama came to power in 2013.

Last week, the country’s anti-corruption prosecutor announced it was investigating the ownership and legal status of the earmarked land, and seized assets of people linked to the project.

Critics argue that corruption remains deeply embedded in the Albanian state and that power has become increasingly concentrated around Rama and the Socialist Party. Transparency International continues to describe corruption as a major problem. Among other problems, Albania continues to be a major producer of marijuana, grown in the southern half of the country and exported all over Europe.

Some have claimed in online posts that the land had been sold to Israel, invoking Kushner’s Jewish background as evidence of a hidden political agenda. However, there is little evidence to support those claims.

Albania is a frontrunner to join the EU together with Montenegro. Rama has set a target of joining the bloc by 2030, with technical negotiations to close at the end of 2027.