Albania’s EU membership bid has hit a new bump in the road over a luxury coastal resort project linked to Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
Protests, riots, property disputes and an anti-corruption probe in a predominantly Greek-speaking region have turned the tourism development into an added complication for Tirana’s longstanding efforts to join the EU.
Speaking alongside António Costa, the European Council president, in the Albanian capital, Prime Minister Edi Rama rejected calls to halt the project.
“There is no chance for the investment to halt for as long as I am in this office,” Rama said.
Controversy over the resort combines environmental concerns, unresolved land claims, ownership transparency questions, and Albania’s efforts to convince EU capitals that its rule-of-law and environment reforms are being implemented in practice.
Albania’s anti-corruption prosecution office, SPAK, has confirmed it has opened an investigation linked to the case. Local…
