Serbia: Protests over vast Rio Tinto lithium mining project
August 11, 2024
Tens of thousands demonstrated at key sites in central Belgrade on Saturday evening, calling for an end to a planned lithium mining project in western Serbia, saying it could pollute nearby agricultural land and water.
The vast project involving British-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has EU support and aims to drastically reduce Europe's shortfalls in local sources for the mineral. Lithium is crucial for making things like electric car and smartphone batteries.
Protesters waved Serbian flags and chanted slogans like, "You will not dig" and "Rio Tinto leave Serbia!"
Government accuses protesters of ulterior motive
The government of President Aleksandar Vucic said the protests were politically motivated, designed to topple Vucic. It had claimed the previous day, albeit providing few details, that it had received a warning from Russia about plans for a coup.
"Our rally today is ecological and has no political ambitions, but the government has accused us of seeking to stage a coup," actor Svetlana Bojkovic said at the demonstration.
Zlatko Kokanovic, a protest leader and farmer from the Jadar region in western Serbia where the mine is planned, called on demonstrators to block two major train stations in the city.
Vucic controversially reinstated Rio Tinto's license to pursue what would be Europe's largest lithium mine last month, after Serbia's previous government had canceled the plans.
Europe currently imports most of its lithium from the United States and Asia.
Serbia is seeking EU membership but also has several high hurdles in front of it still, not least its relationship with Kosovo.
Protesters' deadline to put plans back on ice expired
Protesters in Serbia had given the government a deadline to call the mining project off again, which expired on Saturday, hence the mobilization.
If implemented as planned, it's estimated that the $2.4 billion (roughly €2.2 billion) Jadar mine could cover 90% of Europe's current lithium needs and make Rio Tinto one of the world's largest lithium producers.
The company and the Serbian government say the highest environmental standards will be upheld in the lush agricultural region, but this has not convinced opponents.
While the mineral is crucial to making things like electric cars, allowing for personal transportation without any carbon dioxide emissions at the point of use, the other environmental costs of mining it can be high.
msh/sms (AFP, Reuters)