On Friday, July 19, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz signed a Memorandum of Understanding on partnership in strategic raw materials, battery, and electric vehicle production chains with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucevic in Belgrade.
This was reported by the Balkan Observer.
Scholz, Vucic, and European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič signed an agreement on a strategic partnership between the EU and Serbia on lithium mining in the northwest of the country together with Australian mining giant Rio Tinto.
The Serbian president assured that the government would listen to the demands of citizens and implement the mining in a “transparent way.”
“Serbia will insist on environmental protection and that the water and air of our citizens in Jadar and Rada are clean,” Vucic said, adding that the project will bring the most significant investment ever in Serbia.
He also noted that he would insist on opening an electric vehicle production facility in Serbia.
Lithium, a strategically important component of the batteries needed for the EU's green transition, will be extracted at the Jadar mine. Located near the city of Loznica in western Serbia, it contains some of the largest lithium deposits in Europe.
The previous Serbian government halted the project and canceled the licenses issued to Rio Tinto after massive protests over two years ago.
Author - Olena Madiak, 19/07/2024