(ANSA-AFP) - BELGRADE, AUG 11 - Thousands hit the streets in
Serbia's capital Belgrade Saturday to protest the rebooting of a
controversial lithium mine set to serve as a vital source to
power Europe's green energy transition. Ahead of the rally, two
leading protest figures said they were briefly detained by
security officials who warned that any moves to block roads
during the protest would be seen as illegal.
Serbia has vast lithium deposits near the western city of
Loznica, where a mining project being developed by the
Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has been a perennial
political fault line in the Balkan country in recent years over
its potential environmental impacts. The deposits were
discovered in 2004, but weeks of mass protests forced the
government to halt the project in 2022. But a recent government
U-turn on the issue followed a court decision last month that
said the order to revoke the permits awarded to Rio Tinto was
"not in line with the constitution and the law". Days later, the
Serbian government greenlit the project's restart and signed a
memorandum of understanding with the EU that is seen as the
first step in developing Serbia's lithium resources. Lithium is
a strategically valuable metal needed for electric vehicle
batteries, making it key for helping the automotive industry
shift to greener production. The project, however, has continued
to be unpopular with many in Serbia due to concerns the mine
would pollute water sources and endanger public health. "I am in
Belgrade because the survival of life in Serbia is being
defended here," said Slobodan Stanimirovic, 58, from western's
Serbia's Radjevina near the site of the future mine. The protest
in Belgrade was the latest in a series of demonstrations held
across the Balkan country after the mine's licenses were
reinstated. (ANSA-AFP).
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