Thousands protest against Serbia’s lithium mining deal with EU

2024-07-30 05:52:02

SABAK, Serbia (AP) — Thousands of people marched through several Serbian towns on Monday to protest against a lithium mining plan the Balkan country’s government recently signed with the European Union.

Simultaneous protests were held in the western town of Sabak and in the central towns of Kraljevo, Arandlovac, Lige and Balazhevo. Similar demonstrations have taken place elsewhere in Serbia in recent weeks.

A deal reached this month on “critical raw materials” could reduce Europe’s dependence on China and bring Serbia, which has close ties to Russia and China, closer to the EU. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attended the summit in Belgrade and signed the agreement.

However, the plan has been widely criticized by Serbian environmentalists and opponents, who claim it will cause irreparable damage to the environment and provide few benefits to citizens.

Serbia’s largest lithium reserves are located in the fertile and water-rich western valleys. Multinational company Rio Tinto started exploration work several years ago but faced huge opposition and was forced to suspend it.

However, Serbia’s Constitutional Court this month annulled the government’s previous decision to suspend a US$2.4 billion mining project launched by an Anglo-Australian company in the Jadar Valley, paving the way for its revival.

The Serbian government decided to suspend excavation plans in 2021 after thousands of protesters in Belgrade and elsewhere in the country blocked major roads and bridges against Rio Tinto. The protests are the biggest challenge to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s increasingly authoritarian rule.

Vucic said excavation would not start before 2028 and the government would require strict environmental guarantees before allowing mining. Some government officials have hinted that a referendum may also be held on the issue.

Protesters who gathered in Serbian towns on Monday said they did not trust the government and would not allow the excavation work to continue.

“They are encroaching on our rivers and forests,” said Nebojsa Kovandzic, an activist in the town of Kraljevo. “Everything they do is for their own benefit and not for the benefit of our citizens.” The crowd in Kraljevo chanted “thief, thief”.

In Shabak, protesters waved Serbian flags and marched through town after the protest.

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