site.btaEU Designates Controversial Lithium Mining Project in Serbia as Strategic

The Jadar project in western Serbia for mining of lithium by the multinational Rio Tinto has been included in a European Union’s list of strategic projects for mining raw materials in third countries, Serbian media report.

"These strategic projects will diversify the EU's sources of supply and increase economic security. At the same time, the projects are designed to stimulate local value creation in third countries," the European Commission said in a statement.

The commission's explanation said the strategic projects have been assessed by independent experts to ensure they meet the criteria set out in the Critical Raw Materials Act in terms of environmental, social and governance standards, as well as technical feasibility.

The Commission stresses that the selected projects should be mutually beneficial for the EU and third countries and states that they will have “coordinated support from the Commission, Member States and financial institutions in the form of facilitating access to finance and contacts with relevant buyers”.

The Serbian government last year revived Rio Tinto's plans to open a lithium mine in the Jadar Valley in western Serbia. The USD 2.4 billion project was halted two years ago because of protests by environmental activists. Some citizens and eco-activists are against lithium and boron mining, as they say it poses a great risk to the environment. Large-scale protests were organized in a number of Serbian towns demanding that the project be stopped.

The EU and Serbia last year signed a key agreement on cooperation in lithium mining and on strengthening links in the battery and electric vehicle industries. The signing of the MoU was attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

On April 1 this year, a petition with more than 300 000 signatures of citizens opposed to lithium mining in Serbia was handed over to the EU delegation in Belgrade.

In Serbia, mass protests and roadblocks against the project have been organized over the last four years in the Jadar Valley, which is an agriculturally developed area in the west of the country.

The Serbian government announced earlier that the lithium mine could start operating in 2028, once all environmental requirements have been met and the necessary permits have been obtained.