Serbia Passes Special Law Fast-Tracking Kushner-Linked Belgrade Project

In early November 2025, Serbia's parliament passed a special law, by a 130-40 vote, clearing legal obstacles for a luxury real-estate project tied to Jared Kushner's investment firm Affinity Global Development. The project would redevelop the former Yugoslav Army General Staff headquarters in Belgrade, a site partially destroyed in NATO's 1999 bombing campaign, into a hotel, offices and shops under a 99-year lease.

The site had previously been stripped of its protected cultural-monument status, a move that prosecutors investigated over allegations the underlying documents were forged. The new law allows work, including demolition of the remaining structures, to proceed despite that unresolved investigation and street protests from opponents who see the site as a symbol of resistance to the bombing.

Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and former White House adviser, announced the roughly $500 million project in 2024. Serbia's government, led by a Trump-aligned president, has framed the deal as an economic boost and a way to strengthen ties with the U.S. administration, while critics see it as a case of political access translating into personal business advantage abroad.