With Europe Hungry for Lithium, Will Serbia Say No to Mining?

Global mining company Rio Tinto mothballed its lithium mining project in Serbia in the wake of discontent from the public and environmentalists – but as a new year begins, that’s not the end of the story, believes Mirko Popovic, programme director at the Belgrade-based Platform for Social Development and Innovation NGO, an expert in environmental issues.

The European Union is keen to acquire critical minerals to boost its green energy transition; Serbia has a resource which is of intense interest to various other countries too, Popovic told BIRN in an interview. The Serbian authorities, meanwhile, need the revenue it could bring.

But Serbian society needs to decide “how we will manage resources that are vital to every society – water, air, and land”, Popovic argued.