{
  "id": 10864030,
  "title": "Albanian PM says fate of Kushner-linked luxury project will be decided by 'science', not 'ideology'",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/albanian-pm-says-fate-of-kushner-linked-luxury-project-will-be",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-30T05:00:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euronews",
    "slug": "euronews",
    "url": "https://www.euronews.com/2026/09/30/albanian-pm-says-fate-of-kushner-linked-luxury-project-will-be-decided-by-science-not-ideo"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama stated on Tuesday that the fate of a proposed luxury resort, linked to Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, will be decided through an environmental impact assessment, rather than by street protests and ideology. The project, located in Zvërnec, a protected area in southwestern Albania, aims to boost the country's high-end tourism market as it pursues EU membership.\n\nRama defended the investment during the Euronews Travel and Tourism Summit 2026 in Brussels, emphasizing that the project would significantly improve Albania's quality of life, leading to higher salaries and better services for its citizens. Demonstrators in Tirana have repeatedly protested the project, even calling for Rama's resignation. Albania, currently a frontrunner for EU membership, had assured the European Commission in June that the project would comply with EU environmental standards, a requirement for its accession to the bloc.\n\nRama painted a picture of Albania as a nation transitioning from \"North Korea of Europe\" to the \"shining little jewel\" of the continent, welcoming nearly 12 million foreign visitors this year. However, he acknowledged that the influx of middle- and low-income tourists had put stress on the country's infrastructure, nature, and services. To counter this, Rama argued that Albania should attract high-income tourists, as they would exert less strain on the nation's resources.\n\nIn order to achieve this, Rama stated that Albania's new focus would be on investing in projects that attract high-end investors, partnerships, and local companies.",
  "summary": "Albania has previously promised that the €1.4bn project linked to Donald Trump's son-in-law will meet EU environmental standards.",
  "key_points": [
    "Proposed resort in protected Zvërnec area aims to boost Albania's high-end tourism market.",
    "Rama defends investment, claims it will improve citizens' quality of life and salaries."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}