Albania Approves $1.6B Luxury Resort Development on Sazan Island

Protesters have staged demonstrations in Albania against a planned luxury resort on Sazan Island, citing risks to wildlife and questions over how the project received approvals. The development calls for $1.6 billion in construction to create more than 10,000 hotel rooms on the uninhabited island. The site supports flamingos, seals, and sea-turtle nesting grounds, according to multiple reports.

Before the current plans advanced, the island's protected status limited large-scale construction. After the company received strategic investor designation, Albanian authorities lifted the longstanding environmental protections. The island served military purposes through much of the twentieth century.

Italy maintained a naval presence there from 1920 until the end of World War II, after which the territory returned to Albanian control and remained largely unused except for a small military outpost.

Rama has stated there is "absolutely no chance that the investment will stop as long as I am here." Rama also rejected claims that the resort would harm local wildlife. The project is backed by Atlantic Incubation Partners. The company has not issued a public response to the protests as of the latest reports.