Serbians Protest Rio Tinto’s Lithium Mining Project

Mass protests have erupted across Serbia in response to Rio Tinto’s reignited plan to develop a lithium mining project in the west of the country. Thousands of people have taken to the streets in over 40 locations, with a major demonstration planned for August 10 in Belgrade. Protesters are demanding that the government pass a law to block the exploitation of lithium and boron, warning that they are prepared to escalate actions if their demands are not met. Nebojša Petković of the platform Ne damo Jadar (We Won’t Give up Jadar) has stated that targeted blockades may be organized.

Protesters have raised concerns about the devastating environmental impact Rio Tinto’s Jadar Project would have. The planned mining site, near Loznica and the Jadar River, is a significant water reserve. The extraction and processing of jadarite, a composite of lithium and boron, would require massive amounts of water and could lead to severe contamination, a fear exacerbated by Rio Tinto’s track record in other places, such as Papua New Guinea.

The potential for environmental harm is exacerbated by the fact that the mining would occur in a populated area used for agriculture. Local media outlets Mašina and Prvi Prvi na Skali report that this could be the first instance of such extraction globally, raising doubts about Rio Tinto’s ability to manage the project safely, assuming it wanted to do that in the first place.

In an interview with regional media outlets, environmental activist Vjeran Piršić emphasized that governments should evaluate whether companies applying for mining permits have a history of competently managing similar projects and respecting the communities they operate in. Considering there is no existing project like the Jadar Project, one cannot guarantee that it is possible to implement it without significant environmental sacrifices, Piršić said.

He also noted that Rio Tinto has a long and dark history of labor and human rights violations, from Indonesia to the United States, making it unlikely that the company would adhere to environmental and safety standards in Serbia, where regulatory oversight is generally weak.

In response to earlier protests in 2021, the Serbian government temporarily (and reluctantly) halted the Jadar Project, but a recent court decision overturned these blocks. The government, still led by Aleksandar Vučić, has effectively welcomed the court’s decision and is eager to move forward with the project.

Even while the legal blocks were imposed, Rio Tinto continued to buy and demolish property in the affected area, often without proper permits. Between June 2022 and January 2023, the company purchased land worth at least 1.2 million euros and proceeded to demolish homes despite lacking the necessary approvals, according to BIRN.

While Rio Tinto was buying up property, the Serbian government embarked on negotiations with the European Union over strategic cooperation on “sustainable raw materials.” The EU is keen to secure a steady and cheap supply of lithium for its Green Deal, which relies heavily on the shift to electric vehicles. Rio Tinto estimates that the Jadar Project could supply 58 tons of lithium per year, enough for 1 million electric vehicles or 17% of regional production. This has garnered support from countries like Germany, whose automotive industry has been faltering in the competition with China in the electric vehicle market.

It’s no surprise then that Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently visited Belgrade, where he assured that the lithium extraction project would meet stringent environmental standards—so stringent, in fact, that President Vučić described them as “German standards.” Vučić referred to Scholz as the “environmental guarantor” of Serbia’s future in lithium mining, and Scholz said he himself received assurances there would be no funny business – from no less than Rio Tinto’s management.

Despite the many assurances, most of Serbia’s population remains skeptical, viewing the project as a sellout of their natural resources and health for minimal financial gain. They also expect it will deepen Serbia’s dependence on core EU countries. “We are not a German colony,” stated a protester in Inđija.