Serbia. Lithium mine. Big controversy over mining “white gold”

Most of the survey participants expressed their opposition to plans to exploit lithium deposits even if they received environmental protection guarantees. In response to the question: Do you support opening the mine if Serbia receives guarantees from Germany and the European Union that all environmental protection standards will be observed? More than 52 percent of the participants answered no. Less than 34 percent of the participants agreed to extract the mineral only in such a scenario.

The director of the New Serbian Political Thought, Dziorze Vukadinovic, noted that the government tried to win the support of hesitant citizens through an intensive campaign, but did not achieve much success. – Vukadinovic noted that only eight percent of citizens changed their negative position when they received environmental guarantees. He added that the opening of the mine is mainly supported by supporters of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party “who will support everything that (President) Aleksandar Vucic says.” – He noted that the opponents are politically divided and represent all social groups. President Vucic announced on Wednesday that a memorandum of understanding between the European Union and Serbia on a strategic partnership for sustainable raw materials will be signed in Belgrade on Friday. – Chancellor Schulz, who is interested in lithium, will come, as well as representatives of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Italian Development Bank and Mercedes-Benz, among others – the Serbian president said on RTS television. He noted that Serbia will not allow the export of large quantities of lithium. – 13 percent maximum, the rest should be used for production in Serbia. His government confirmed the German chancellor’s visit on Wednesday. The meeting will officially cover “bilateral, international and European political issues,” but it’s no secret that the focus of the agenda will be the future of Serbia’s lithium deposits, the weekly Vremie wrote. As the EU’s largest car manufacturer, Germany has a keen interest in acquiring lithium, especially in Europe, to reduce its dependence on China, the paper explained.

The Serbian government on Tuesday restored the possibility of lithium exploitation in the western part of the country. In response to the legal changes that allowed the opening of the mine, part of the Serbian opposition called on citizens to hold mass protests. – The government has declared war on its own nation, so we call on all citizens to prepare for general mobilization – said MP and environmental activist Aleksandar Jovanovic Ota.

Lithium and its compounds include: used to produce heat-resistant glass and ceramics, durable alloys used in aviation, lithium cells and lithium-ion batteries.

Geologists estimate that Serbia’s Jadar Valley could contain Europe’s largest resources of the raw material. “Lithium extraction could be very profitable for Serbia,” researchers from the Economist Intelligence Unit noted.

The country has 1.3 percent of the world’s known mineral resources. Analysts say the estimated value of Serbian lithium “is €4 billion, and its extraction could provide hundreds of jobs and a steady stream of income for the government within ten years.”