Albania warned EU accession at risk over Jared Kushner-backed resort plans

MEPs have warned Albania that EU accession talks are at risk if the government does not “change course” over plans for a luxury resort backed by Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner . Tineke Strik, the Dutch MEP heading a European parliament fact-finding mission to the Balkan nation, said Albania’s leadership was “playing with fire” by pursuing the €1.4bn (£1.2bn) real-estate venture that would, she said, wreak havoc on virgin coastline. Opposition to the project has spurred a wave of unprecedented unrest known as the “flamingo revolution” amid mounting calls for the resignation of the Albanian prime minister, Edi Rama. “If Rama is really serious about his EU ambitions, he should step back from this trajectory and say to the Trump clan: ‘Sorry, the EU is my first priority,’” Strik said. “Right now, they’re endangering a process that is so dear to them … They’re playing with fire.” Protesters gather at Skanderbeg Square in Tirana on Tuesday, the 31st day of protests over the planned tourism project, with calls for the resignation of the Albanian prime minister, Edi Rama. Photograph: Olsi Shehu/Anadolu/Getty Images Not since the collapse of communism more than 30 years ago has any policy attracted such overwhelming support from Albanian citizens as EU membership: an estimated 92% back the goal. Rama, who won a historic fourth term in office last year, has vowed to get Albania – one of the poorest countries in Europe – into the 27-member bloc by 2030. …