On Saturday, tens of thousands of protesters went through Belgrade, Serbia, to protest plans to mine one of Europe's largest lithium resources in the Jadar Valley, which activists warn would cause permanent ecological damage.
In 2022, protests stopped the lithium mine, but a deal with the EU on "critical raw materials" last month revived Rio Tinto's mining plans to drastically reduce Europe's lithium shortages, which are essential for EV batteries and Europe's green energy transition.
The lithium mine in Serbia is a terrible idea from start to finish. The government ignored the advice of scientists and mining specialists, who strongly oppose the plans of the EU and multinational mining company Rio Tinto to open a lithium mine that would pollute Serbia's most fertile land. The mine will contaminate the water, land, air, and people with toxic substances such as arsenic, mercury, and lead. The pollution will not only affect Serbia's water supplies, but also those of neighboring countries.
This is good for the EU, as well as for Serbia. Rio Tinto’s planned lithium mine in the Jadar Valley will provide the EU with critical raw materials, and enable Europe to reduce its dependence on Chinese imports for mobile phones and EV batteries. The mine is essential for the success of Europe’s ‘Green New Deal’. It is expected that the project will attract a substantial amount of foreign direct investment to Serbia, reaching billions of euros. Additionally, it will provide excellent opportunities for job creation.