Serbia wants to mine lithium with the support of Berlin and Brussels. Critics say this is damaging to the environment. However, the electrical industry needs the raw material.
Major protest against environmentally hazardous mining: Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Belgrade against the planned mining of lithium in their country. They occupied two train stations in the Serbian capital on Sunday night. The police arrested a total of 19 demonstrators.
Officials only intervened against the rail occupiers in the morning and cleared the stations. Small groups of blockers were still there at the time. President Aleksandar Vucic condemned the station blockades, but signaled a willingness to talk and a possible referendum on the lithium project.
Serbia’s lithium deal with Brussels
On July 19, Serbia’s government, in the presence of Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), signed a letter of intent with EU Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic in Belgrade to enable environmentally friendly mining of the globally extremely sought-after light metal in the Jadar Valley.
Europe’s largest lithium deposit is located in the Jadar Valley in western Serbia. The raw material is important for the production of electric cars. In July of this year, Belgrade gave the green light for lithium mining. Two years earlier, the government had temporarily halted it under pressure from environmentalists who believe that lithium mining is extremely damaging to people and nature.
Serbian President wants to talk to the people
Vucic said that the occupation of the train stations was “not a contribution to democracy”. He wanted to speak to the residents of the planned mine. “I simply do not understand why the people of this country wanted to destroy Serbia’s economy,” he said in a televised address. “Do the people of Serbia really think that I am stupid and crazy, that I will do something against my country and my people?” He did not rule out that there could be a referendum on the issue, either only in the affected region or in all of Serbia.
According to Interior Minister Ivica Dacic, 14 people were arrested on suspicion of criminal offenses on the night of the protest, three others were arrested for administrative offenses, and two foreigners were arrested for their presence at the demonstration near important state institutions. The police estimated the number of demonstrators at 24,000 to 27,000. Independent observers spoke of around 40,000 protesters.
In recent days, numerous people in more than 40 Serbian cities have demonstrated against the lithium project. The organizers announced further traffic blockades in the coming week, without giving any details.
West wants to reduce lithium dependence on China
Germany and the EU want to use lithium mining in Serbia to reduce their dependence on China. China controls a large part of the mining and processing of lithium worldwide. Serbia is officially a candidate for EU membership. At the same time, Serbia’s President Vucic and other government politicians maintain close relations with Russia.
Environmentalists criticize, among other things, that lithium mining pollutes groundwater with heavy metals and therefore poses a threat to local residents’ drinking water supplies. “Is it patriotism to help a multinational company, or is true patriotism the fight for clean air, clean land and water that feeds all of us in Serbia?” said actress Jelena Stupljanin at the protest rally in Belgrade. The Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has been interested in the lithium project in Serbia for years.
PK Vucic according to newspaper Politika, Serbian
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
