Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of the Serbian capital on Saturday to oppose an EU-backed lithium mining project in the Jadar Valley.
After tens of thousands of people demonstrated against lithium mining in Belgrade on Saturday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has pledged to visit towns and cities across the country and assuage the concerns of residents most affected by the latest EU-backed plan.
“I will go to talk to those who think differently, to ordinary people. To talk about their fear,” he said in the aftermath of the demonstrations gathering tens of thousands in downtown Belgrade.
While he said he approved the peaceful protests’ “democratic atmosphere”, he also slammed the decision by the protesters to block the railway and a major bridge in Belgrade as “a mockery of democracy” and “terror of the minority”.
“I just don’t understand why these people who live in this country wanted to destroy the economy of Serbia,” said Vučić.
Saturday’s protest in Belgrade was a culmination of a series of protests in other Serbian towns and cities to oppose a plan to allow lithium mining in the Jadar Valley.
The latest memorandum, signed with EU representatives in mid-July, would jumpstart Europe’s largest lithium mining operation, which the government argues is necessary for the country’s economic development.
However, protesters, including green groups, have suggested that the project’s environmental impact would be catastrophic.
Vučić previously claimed the protests were part of a “coup” from unspecified Western powers looking to oust him from his position.
Old plans resurfaced
The plan to mine lithium in the western part of the country involving mining multinational Rio Tinto was originally scrapped in 2022 after large demonstrations blocked key bridges and roads.
After reviewing the plan last month, Vučić accepted a tentative deal on “raw materials” between the Serbian government and Brussels, indicating that the plan could proceed.
Serbia is formally seeking EU membership, and some claim such a deal would bring the Western Balkan nation closer to the bloc.
Lithium production — a critical element in electric car batteries and other electronic components — would be advantageous to Brussels and reduce their electric vehicle imports from China.
Although the government has pledged to uphold environmental standards if the planned project goes ahead, residents of the valley strongly oppose the mine, which critics say would inflict irreparable environmental damage.
