Every day at 6 pm sharp, Albanian citizens take to the streets in what has already been dubbed the “flamingo revolution”, chanting slogans such as: “Albania is not for sale” and “Edi Rama and Sali Berisha in prison”, pointing the finger not only at the current Albanian Prime Minister but at a systemic culture of corruption with much deeper roots.

Furthermore, the country is one of the leading candidates for European integration; indeed, according to Prime Minister Rama himself, Albania will join the EU by 2030. The European Commission, through its spokesperson, has expressed serious concerns, advising the country to ‘refrain from actions’ that could abruptly halt or slow down the accession process.

The summer resort of American tycoons: a strategic spot in the sun

The question is inevitable: why have Albanian citizens been demonstrating in the streets for so many days? It all began with a holiday: Jared Kushner, an American businessman and politician, and Donald Trump’s son-in-law, along with his wife, Ivanka Trump, found themselves swimming in the sea off an unspoilt Albanian island and were captivated by it.

This situation gave rise to the idea of building a chain of tourist resorts worth around €1.4 billion in the Pishë Poro-Nartë area of Zvërnec: the final straw, however, is the so-called ‘Zvërnec Peninsula’ project. This peninsula, in fact, is not only considered a nature reserve of great value but is also home to around 200 species of birds, including the famous flamingos, which have become the symbol of the protest.

Work in these areas began in April: on the beaches near the Vjosa River delta, bulldozers and fencing have made these areas inaccessible to local residents.

“Hands off Albania”

The catalyst for the event was 30 May, when hundreds and hundreds of people gathered in front of the fences on Svernzez Island, calling for greater transparency and public involvement in decision-making on issues which, like this one, have a significant impact on the protection of Albania’s heritage and biodiversity.

However, these protests were suppressed with extreme violence by the security personnel on site, whilst the police stood by indifferently.

EU integration at a crossroads: President Costa’s appeal

Following a meeting between Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and European Council President António Costa, the latter emphasised that: “It is not just a matter of translating EU law into Albanian, but also of implementing it”, highlighting the ongoing dialogue and engagement with Albanian society and the authorities.

The Albanian Prime Minister’s response was more heated; in the face of accusations of a lack of public accountability and transparency in decision-making, argued that the project is private and that it helps to boost the Albanian economy’s revenues ahead of imminent EU accession (this position is also shared by Sali Berisha, leader of the Democratic Party of Albania).

The European Commission’s reference relates to Chapter 27 of the EU accession process, concerning the environment and climate change.

Meanwhile, ‘Spak’ – Albania’s special anti-corruption body – has announced a new investigation into the laws adopted by the Rama government concerning protected areas and the protection of biodiversity. In particular, Spak is scrutinising the amendments made to the Albanian law dating back to 2024, which removed protections for long-standing ecosystems.

In particular, it is the European Commission itself that is calling not only for the repeal of the incompatible provisions, but also for the 2015 legislation on strategic investments to be scrapped. In the European Union’s annual report on the state of integration of candidate countries, Brussels has expressed serious concerns regarding the approval of an amendment to the aforementioned 2015 law, which introduced special exemptions for investments of €50 million or more.

Is this annexation “going to happen”?

As is well known, the process of integration within the European Union is highly complex and multifaceted: there are 35 chapters, divided into six general areas, and each candidate country is required to comply with certain standards regarding: democracy, external relations and, above all, as in this case, environmental and economic policies.

Among the Western Balkan countries at an advanced stage of negotiations, Montenegro is undoubtedly in the lead; it has been a candidate since 2010 and, since last April, has been in the process of drafting its EU accession treaty. In second place, however, is Albania under the Rama government: a candidate since 2014, it has opened negotiations on the six general areas.

The aforementioned EU report from 2025 is clear: although Albania is making progress in the judicial sphere, thanks in part to the work of SPAK, there are still a number of areas where shortcomings remain. Among these, alongside Chapter 27 on the environment and climate change, is Chapter 24 on ‘justice, freedom and security’: the European Union, in fact, maintains that in Albania there are still serious issues relating to media freedom, the protection of property rights and corruption within the judiciary, which are far from being resolved.

The ‘flamingo revolution’ thus issues a warning to the Rama government, which has been welcomed by Brussels: if Albania is to proceed with its accession to the European Union, this must inevitably involve respect for local communities and for areas that form an integral part of Albania’s biodiversity heritage.