The government in Belgrade, the EU and Germany are in favour of lithium being mined in Serbia, which is important for the electrical industry. Environmentalists and many citizens of the country are protesting against the planned mine.
Tens of thousands of people are demonstrating in Belgrade against the planned mining of lithium in Serbia. Environmentalists believe this is extremely damaging to people and nature. Following a call from several environmental protection associations, the demonstrators gathered in a central square in the Serbian capital under the slogan “There will be no mines”.
Train traffic blocked
Some of the protesters also occupied the tracks in two train stations in the Serbian capital, thereby blocking train traffic there. Many of them want to keep the tracks occupied all night. The police did not intervene at first. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Ivica Dacic described the blockades as a serious violation of public order and peace. He announced that charges would be filed for criminal offenses and misdemeanors. The police estimated the number of demonstrators at 24,000 to 27,000, the minister said, according to the Serbian news agency Tanjug. Individual leaders of the demonstrators had announced further traffic blockades in the country for the coming days, without giving any details.
In recent days, many people have demonstrated against this project in more than 40 Serbian cities.
Largest lithium deposit in the Jadar Valley
Europe's largest lithium deposit is located in the Jadar Valley in western Serbia. The raw material is important for the production of electric cars. In July of this year, Belgrade gave the green light for lithium mining after temporarily halting it two years earlier under pressure from environmentalists.
On July 19, in the presence of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Serbia's government signed a declaration of intent with EU Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic in Belgrade to enable environmentally friendly mining of the globally extremely sought-after light metal in the Jadar Valley. Germany and the EU primarily want to use the project to reduce dependence on China.
China controls a large part of the mining and processing of lithium worldwide. The Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has been interested in this mining project for years. Environmentalists criticize, among other things, that lithium mining pollutes the groundwater with heavy metals and therefore poses a threat to the drinking water supply of local residents.
