Ahead of a debate on lithium mining in the Serbian Parliament next week, European Greens stand in solidarity with the tens of thousands of people in Serbia who protested in fifty cities across the country this summer against the decision of the Serbian authorities to allow the multinational mining company Rio Tinto to mine for lithium in the Jadar valley.
The Jadar valley is a densely populated rural area in Western Serbia, with fertile agricultural land and significant reserves of underground drinkable water that are highly valuable for the region.
In 2017, the British-Australian mining multinational Rio Tinto signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Serbia in respect to the implementation of the Jadar Project. In 2021, the citizens of Serbia became aware of the dangers of the project demanding the rejection of the project as well as the withdrawal of amendments to the Expropriation and Referendum Laws fearing that adoption of these laws would ease the implementation of the project.
The people of Serbia protested in massive numbers, blocked highways, and successfully halted the project in 2022. But after a series of elections in 2022-2024, Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić (SNS, affiliated to the European People’s Party) reintroduced the project again in July 2024 without the needed respect for democratic standards and public involvement.
The benefits of the current lithium extraction project in Serbia will go to the British-Australian multinational company Rio Tinto, leaving immeasurable damage to the environment and the local population. Next week, the Serbian National Parliament will have an extraordinary session on lithium-mining, following a request of the opposition.
European Green Party co-chair Thomas Waitz said: “Let’s not repeat the errors of the past, when the rush for critical materials for energy led to pollution and disruption of societies. Genuine consultations must be held, and processes put in place to ensure accountability before any operations are even considered. The current Memorandum of Understanding between EU and Serbia does not legally ensure any of these standards. The European Union must first assure that there is a legal framework in Serbia that allows for people to hold Rio Tinto and the Serbian government to account. Especially since this year’s new Due Diligence Directive which requires firms, including non-EU companies, to prevent, end or mitigate their adverse impact on human rights and the environment. ”
The European Greens consistently urge the EU to accelerate its transition to a circular economy to reduce our reliance on new raw materials, ensuring that its need for resources does not deepen existing global inequalities. To avoid an extractive approach, the EU must support resource-rich countries, enabling them to extract, process, and recycle materials according to the same conditions as within the EU, and put the rights of communities, nature, and biodiversity at the centre of all projects. We also strongly condemn the violence, detentions and intimidation of activists who oppose lithium mining.
