TIRANA, Albania — Thousands of protesters gathered in central Tirana on Tuesday for a third consecutive day, demanding the cancellation of a controversial tourism project in the protected coastal area of Zvërnec after Prime Minister Edi Rama declared that the development would go ahead regardless of public opposition.
The demonstration, held in front of the Prime Minister’s Office, is the latest escalation in a growing dispute over a planned luxury tourism complex in the coastal Zvërnec-Pishë Poro area north of the city of Vlora.
Protesters are calling for the project to be cancelled and for Rama to resign.
The project is expected to include hotels, villas, apartments, and a marina. Government officials and the developer have said that investments could exceed 4 billion euros, although the financing structure and the full ownership of the project have not been publicly disclosed.
The protests began after clashes on Saturday at the construction site in Zvërnec, where local residents and environmental activists attempted to enter an area surrounded by fencing and security personnel.
Videos widely circulated in Albanian media and social media show private security guards dragging and beating a protester while police officers stood nearby without intervening.
Following public criticism, Interior Minister Besfort Lamallari ordered investigations into both the private security personnel involved in the incident and the police officers present at the scene.
The controversy has deepened after Albania’s Special Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Structure, SPAK, confirmed that it has opened an investigation related to the project.
Prosecutors have not disclosed details of the inquiry. However, local media reports have focused on questions surrounding land ownership, environmental permits, and decisions that affected the protected status of parts of the Vjosa-Narta landscape.
Environmental groups oppose the development, arguing that it threatens one of Albania’s most sensitive coastal ecosystems.
The project is located within the Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape, an important habitat for migratory birds, including the endangered Dalmatian pelican, as well as other protected species.
Critics have also raised concerns about the process through which environmental permits were granted, changes to legislation governing protected areas, and the transparency of decision-making surrounding the project.
They accuse the government of favoring private development interests at the expense of environmental protection and public land.
The project is being developed by Zvërnec South Adriatic Development, a company whose ownership structure passes through a series of companies registered in the Netherlands.
Critics say the structure makes it difficult to identify all of the project’s ultimate beneficial owners. Questions also remain about how the project will be financed and who will provide the investment capital.
The development has attracted international attention because of reported links to the network of business contacts associated with Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in the region.
However, the exact nature of their involvement, if any, remains unclear, and no public documents show that they are investors or shareholders in the project.
Rama has strongly defended the development, describing it as part of Albania’s strategy to attract high-end tourism and foreign investment.
Speaking in Tirana alongside European Council President António Costa, Rama rejected calls to halt the project.
“There is no chance that this investment will be stopped as long as I am in this office,” he said.
The prime minister argues that luxury tourism projects create wider economic benefits by generating demand for local businesses, services, and products. He has also insisted that the project will comply with environmental standards and that the government has imposed conditions designed to protect the surrounding ecosystem.
The dispute comes at a sensitive moment for Albania’s European Union accession process.
During his visit to Tirana, Costa stressed the importance of implementing EU standards on environmental protection, rule of law, and good governance, key areas that Albania must address as part of its membership negotiations.
The controversy has also created diplomatic tensions with neighboring Greece after a protester injured during the clashes, who reportedly holds both Albanian and Greek citizenship, received support from Greek consular authorities.
Protest organizers have vowed to continue demonstrations in the coming days, signaling that the dispute over the Zvërnec project is likely to remain at the center of Albania’s political and environmental debate.
