BELGRADE – While Serbia’s goal should be full membership in the European Union, launching the lithium mining project in the Jadar Valley by Rio Tinto would not be in Serbia’s best interest, assessed Jelica Minić, member of the Executive Board of the European Movement in Serbia, during the panel discussion “The Role of Serbia in the European Green Deal”, held at the Belgrade Security Conference (BSC) on Tuesday evening.
Panelists agreed that the European Union’s approach to communicating the lithium mining project in Serbia has been “a disaster”.
Jelica Minić stated that Serbia must learn to defend its own interests without damaging its relationships with the European Union or any other partner.
“Look at Poland’s negotiations on agriculture—it was a difficult process for the EU because Poland was defending its interests. We need to learn how to defend our own interests”, Minić said.
She acknowledged the interest of Brussels and Germany in lithium exploitation in the Jadar Valley. However, she questioned the insistence of the Serbian government on this project.
“The economic benefits for Serbia are negligible. The revenue from lithium mining would amount to around 500 million Euros over 14 years, which is practically nothing. At the same time, Rio Tinto would generate a net profit of 11 billion euros from this project,” Minić said, quoting a study by a group of Serbian economists which was published last month
According to her, the price of lithium has dropped by 80% over the past two years. She also noted that Serbia would have to invest significant funds in building the infrastructure necessary for lithium exploitation, which is not the case in other countries where Rio Tinto operates.
Speaking about the political consequences of the project, Minić warned that lithium mining could further strengthen Serbia’s authoritarian regime, disregard the views of local communities, and pit various interest groups against one another.
She said many of the voters of the ruling party are against this project, underlining that it’s very broad coalition in Serbian society. She also stated that accusations claiming citizens opposing the project are financed by Russia are a narrative the Serbian government is “selling” to EU and US embassies.
Minić added that the EU, by insisting on the project in this manner, is sending a terrible message to the citizens of Serbia.
Minić underlined that it would be good to see some alternative projects designed in a different way, perhaps more reliable, or managed by a state-owned company.
“I am absolutely not in favor of Rio Tinto. However, theoretically, it would be interesting to see different offers. In this country, we don’t have competition in any sector, including public procurement. Typically, one company offers, and the state simply accepts“, Minić said.
Former Bulgarian Minister of Environment Julian Popov commented that environmental pollution sparks public reactions in every country, regardless of the type of regime.
According to him, in every democratic or semi-democratic country, when there is harm to the environment, public reactions often force changes.
„Even in China, we see changes due to citizen reactions. Fear of public outrage can boil over regardless of the regime or the level of democratic practices in a country“, he said.
However, Popov underlined that raw materials are vital for the EU’s strategic autonomy.
“The issue is much broader than mining alone. There are many critical materials that need to be considered. However, I don’t believe our only option is to mine and produce everything ourselves. Instead, we need to manage global supply chains, ensure supply security, and explore alternatives that can be triggered immediately. This has now become a clearly articulated issue at the EU level”, he said.
He expressed a hope the debate about lithium will trigger a broader discussion about environmental protection. Serbia is likely the country with the most pesticide-contaminated soil in Europe, Popov stated.