How Orbán's Fall Halts Billion-Euro Lithium Project in Majevica

(Patria) - Bosnia and Herzegovina entered 2026 as a pivotal year for the project in Lopare, which was supposed to position Republika Srpska as a strategic partner to the European automotive industry.

However, yesterday's transfer of power in Budapest has toppled one of the three key pillars of this undertaking, writes N1.

https://nap.ba/post/kraj-orbanove-politicke-ere-peter-magyar-preuzeo-duznost-premijera-maarske

End of Orban's Political Era: Peter Magyar Takes Over as Hungarian Prime Minister

The center-right Tisa party secured a convincing victory in the April elections, winning 141 out of 199 parliamentary seats and defeating Viktor Orbán's Fidesz, the former prime minister.

The deposits in Majevica are estimated to be among the most significant in Europe. According to research, the locality near Lopare contains:

‣ 1.5 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent;

‣ 14 million tons of boric acid;

‣ millions of tons of potassium and magnesium.

The planned value chain included the Swiss company Arcore AG as the concession holder, the German company Rock Tech Lithium for raw material processing, but also crucial Hungarian capital and political protection guaranteed by Viktor Orbán.

Unlike Orbán, who was the closest European ally of the Republika Srpska authorities, the new Prime Minister Péter Magyar leads pro-European reform policies.

His rise to power presents three key problems for the project:

‣ Withdrawal of Funds: It is questionable whether the new Hungarian government will continue to finance the project through state funds;

‣ Loss of Political Protection: Hungarian support served as a diplomatic shield for the project before European institutions;

‣ Shift in Focus: Magyar aims to distance himself from Orbán's regional alliances, which could lead to the suspension of all strategic arrangements with the Republika Srpska authorities.

Earlier this year, the Republika Srpska authorities amended the legal framework, shifting the decision-making on geological exploration from the local to the entity level. This move, intended to accelerate exploitation, has met with strong resistance from the local community in Lopare.

For months, citizens and environmental organizations have been warning about the danger of groundwater pollution and the destruction of nature, drawing parallels with the Rio Tinto case in Serbia.

Instead of the year in which commercial exploitation was supposed to begin, 2026 could turn into a year of final re-evaluation.

Without Hungarian money and with a new political climate in Budapest, the fate of the billion-euro lithium in Majevica now hangs by a thread.