EU seals ‘historic’ pact on Serbia’s lithium deposits

The EU has hailed a pact with Serbia on lithium mining as a “historic day for Serbia, in addition to for Europe”, bringing to an finish a race to seal the deal.

On Tuesday, Serbia restored mining large Rio Tinto’s licence to extract the mineral within the Jadar Valley within the west of the nation.

By Thursday night, Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz was in Belgrade and championing a deal he mentioned would assist to defend Europe’s financial safety.

Mr Scholz was eager to make sure his nation’s auto business was on the entrance of the queue for provides.

Carmakers will want ever extra lithium for batteries, because the transition to zero-emission autos accelerates – and Rio Tinto’s Jadar venture may present as a lot as nine-tenths of Europe’s present lithium wants.

The European Fee’s vice-president, Maros Sefcovic, was additionally in Belgrade on Friday, for a gathering billed as a “important uncooked supplies summit”.

He was joined by what he referred to as the “crème de la crème” of European corporations with a powerful curiosity in a brand new supply of lithium.

They included Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis, who between them account for nearly 1 / 4 of all automotive gross sales in Europe.

Representatives of lithium battery-makers additionally appeared on as Serbia and the EU signed an settlement to determine a “strategic partnership on sustainable uncooked supplies, battery manufacturing chains and electrical autos”.

Whereas Mr Sefcovic described it a historic day, Olaf Scholz celebrated securing entry to the continent’s largest-known reserves of lithium – which ought to scale back reliance on provides from China.

“This determination takes braveness, nevertheless it was made on the proper second,” he mentioned, including that the transfer would guarantee Europe stays “sovereign in a altering world” and “isn’t depending on others”.

This was reward for Serbia’s management, who scrapped a ban on lithium mining after a courtroom ruling final week declared it to be unconstitutional. The federal government imposed the moratorium in 2022, after in depth protests throughout the nation.

It was not simply environmentalists who took half within the demonstrations. Lots of those that blocked roads and bridges had been new to protesting. All of them had been alarmed {that a} international firm had gained mining rights by a course of they felt had not been clear.

And so they had been involved concerning the potential affect on vital sources of meals and water within the Jadar Valley.

These issues haven’t gone away, regardless of the assurances of Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vucic.

“We’ll by no means conceal something from our folks at any stage of the opening of the mine, at any a part of the process,” he mentioned on the signing ceremony.

“As president, I’ll personally combat for the setting and for the lives of our residents in Jadar, in order that their water and air are clear”.

Mr Vucic was additionally eager to play up the potential financial positive factors. He insisted that Jadar’s lithium would keep within the nation.

Maros Sefcovic mentioned that might imply Serbia would turn out to be the primary European nation with “the entire worth chain from lithium all the way down to the electrical autos constructed right here in Serbia”.

Opposition events stay unconvinced by the president’s environmental ensures. They by no means believed the lithium mine had been scrapped for good. Now they’re demanding transparency over the revived Rio Tinto venture.

“There’s a full lack of belief within the authorities once they say it will likely be within the curiosity of residents,” says the co-leader of the Inexperienced-Left Motion, Biljana Djordjevic.

“We worry that Serbia will probably be sacrificed to offer lithium for electrical autos that just about no one in Serbia can afford.”

It implies that regardless of the celebrations in Brussels, Berlin and Belgrade, the protests towards lithium mining in rural Serbia are more likely to return in earnest.