Serbia’s parliament has approved a special law to fast-track a planned property development in Belgrade by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, overriding local concerns about the project on the site of NATO’s 1999 bombing.
Legislators voted 130-40 on November 4 in favor of the law, backed by the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of President Aleksandar Vucic — who has spoken enthusiastically of the plan, saying it will result in a “magnificent hotel.”
Kushner, who is married to Trump’s elder daughter, Ivanka, and served as a White House adviser during Trump’s first term in office, last year announced a $500 million hotel complex in Belgrade.
Bombed By NATO In 1999
The development, designed by architect Nikola Dobrovic, centered on a pair of jagged unoccupied modernist brick structures in the center of Belgrade, the former General Staff headquarters for the Yugoslav Army.
The site was bombed by NATO jets in the spring of 1999 as part of a campaign to stop Serbian forces from attacking parts of Kosovo, which was still part of the country.
Despite being bombed out, the buildings retained their protected status due to what activists said was their architectural significance.
The new law overrides this by declaring the project a national priority, stating that “all procedures related to the implementation of the General Staff revitalization project are to be considered urgent,” and “all state bodies and institutions are obliged to issue acts within their jurisdiction without delay.”
Speaking during debate over the law, opposition parliamentary deputy Biljana Dordevic of the Green–Left Front said the provisions of the new law allow it to take effect the day after adoption.
“I can imagine they’ll start demolishing as soon as next week. Citizens will surely come and try to stop it. I can’t imagine it otherwise,” she said.
Kushner’s company, Affinity Partners, did not immediately comment on the ruling.
A Long-Running Battle
The legislation follows a series of battles over the project.
In November 2024, the Serbian government stripped the buildings of their protected designation, paving the way for Kushner’s company to move forward. That prompted outrage from historic preservationists.
In May, prosecutors announced that the cultural official in charge of the site’s historic designation had forged a signature on a key document and had been arrested.
Goran Vasic, acting director of the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, admitted he had fabricated an expert’s opinion — and an investigation is ongoing.
At the time, Affinity Partners denied any involvement in document falsification. It has also committed to building a memorial complex within the site dedicated to all victims of the NATO bombing.
The site was included in this year’s list of most endangered heritage sites in Europe by Europa Nostra, the continent’s largest heritage protection organization.
When a delegation from the group visited the site in July, it said the complex was “a symbol of the collective responsibility to safeguard the cultural legacy of the 20th century.”
The project has also been criticized within Serbia. In 2024, a former chief of Serbia’s General Staff, Zdravko Ponos, accused Vucic of “investing in his political future” and likened any deal relinquishing control of the site to surrendering “a family jewel.”
Politicians from across the spectrum have said it should be preserved as a historical monument.
Vucic, however, has hit back, saying the project “will contribute to our capital becoming the center of this part of the world” and help Belgrade position itself as “an unmissable destination and desirable headquarters for the largest corporations, universities, and international institutions.”
