Mass protests in Albania over Trump-linked resort project; EU expresses concerns
Albania is experiencing unprecedented large-scale demonstrations, now in their fifth day, against a $1.6 billion luxury resort development project linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump on the site of a former military base. The protests, which have blocked the capital Tirana and spread to the diaspora in the US, are calling for Prime Minister Rama's resignation, though he has dismissed the demonstrations. The EU has raised concerns about the project, while the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Trump-nominated Eric Wendt as the new US Ambassador to Albania.
Why it matters
This represents an unusual moment of domestic political mobilization in Albania against a major foreign investment by a prominent American figure, reflecting tensions between economic development and national sovereignty concerns. The situation tests Albania's EU integration trajectory and its relationship with the incoming Trump administration, while also revealing broader public anxieties about foreign control of Albanian territory and resources.