LITHIUM MINING Vučić now has Germany, the EU and the US on his side!

(Patria) - Will Vučić be forced to withdraw again on the issue of lithium? What are the consequences of copper exploitation in Serbia? German media are writing about it.

"Uprising against plans to mine lithium – Germany as a scapegoat" – is the title of an article published on the internet portal of the German public broadcaster MDR, and reported by DW.

The author of the article, Andrej Ivanji, writes.

"The number of protests and demonstrators in Serbia opposing lithium mining has surprised both environmentalists and the government. While environmentalists are calling for a popular uprising, fearing pollution of biblical proportions, the government sees the exploitation of this raw material as a historic opportunity for the Serbian economy."

It is recalled that "on July 19, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz appeared in Belgrade to support President Aleksandar Vučić in his intention to mine lithium in Serbia during a brief visit. After that, thousands of angry people took to the streets in dozens of cities across the country. 'Over our dead bodies,' they shouted. As well as: 'Out of Serbia,' 'We are not German guinea pigs,' 'Germany wants to turn Serbia into its colony,' 'Treason'..."

"'The Germans want to dig pits in Serbia again,' shouted one speaker in Šabac – alluding to German war crimes during the occupation in World War II. Even a swastika, combined with a photo of Scholz, was seen at the protest."

The lithium issue has fiercely stirred passions in Serbia, as the country has large quantities of this globally important light metal needed for batteries, MDR writes. "And Germany and the European Union need it even more to implement Agenda 2030 – after all, Germany wants to produce 15 million electric cars by then."

It is also important that the EU wants to reduce its dependence on Chinese lithium, making it a strategic goal.

"Both politicians emphasized that Serbia is not seen as a raw material exporter, but that an entire production chain will be created in the country – from the mine, through the production of batteries and cathodes, to the production of electric cars. And that Serbs should not miss this 'historic opportunity'. Scholz's role in this spectacle was to serve as a credible guarantor that nature would remain untouched in this project."

"However, those guarantees are not enough for the Serbs, who, during Vučić's ten-year rule – with the help of media brought into line – have been systematically incited against the West. Until recently, the pro-regime tabloid press propagated anti-German conspiracy theories, according to which the BND wants to cause chaos in Serbia to overthrow the ruler Vučić, because he, as unwavering and brave as he is, refuses to recognize Kosovo's independence and impose sanctions on Russia."

"All enemies of lithium, all demonstrators from the provinces, should come to Belgrade on August 10 for a large demonstration that should show everyone what Serbs think of the project. This should be a warning to the Serbian government. Environmental activists swear that, if necessary, they will fight to the very end, even physically defend their land," MDR writes.

After presenting the views of one such opponent of lithium exploitation in Serbia, Aleksandar Jovanović Ćuta, and a brief recap of events after the 2022 protests, Vučić's concession and the introduction of a ban on lithium mining ("the only political defeat of the Serbian ruler since he came to power"), and the annulment of that ban on the eve of Scholz's visit, the author concludes his text as follows:

"So now environmentalists and the opposition hope that they can expand the street pressure so much that Vučić will be forced to withdraw again. But the circumstances are different now. Vučić now has Germany, the EU, and the US on his side. Government representatives have already announced what will happen if someone tries to block this international artery this time: according to legal regulations, they will be prevented by police force – as in any European democratic country."

Krivelj and Šarbanovac in a clash they don't want
The Süddeutsche Zeitung published a major report from Serbia. The headline reads: "This is our country and we want to keep it!" and below it is an explanation of what it is about: "In eastern Serbia, a Chinese company is mining copper, with severe consequences for nature and people. But, despite the bad example, the EU and Germany want to mine lithium in the Jadar Valley soon".

The author of the article, Florian Hassel, begins his report in Krivelj and Šarbanovac. A local resident shows him a river diversion tunnel that the Chinese company Zijin has been building for two years. The dam is still being completed and the river flow is being diverted by Chinese workers. A retired engineer explains to the author that "The problem is that the entire project is non-transparent. All work is carried out without a spatial development plan, without environmental testing, and without any participation from us as village residents." The author adds: "The Belgrade environmental protection institute Reri, as well as the Dutch citizens' group Just Finance, also complain that there are no adequate expert opinions."

"Not only the river, but the entire village of Krivelj has ended up in Zijin's path. The Chinese state-owned company took over the copper mine in southeastern Serbia five and a half years ago and expanded it so much that Krivelj will soon be a thing of the past. The village, whose residents – like those in other affected villages – do not know what will happen to them, despite years of discussions."

This is followed by the story of the Bor mining basin, where "one of the largest copper reserves in Europe were discovered 130 years ago." The author states that in the early 1980s, the relocation of local households to the hills around Bor began, which was successful without major problems, but adds that at that time no one expected the mine to continue to expand.

"However, at the end of 2018, Serbia signed an agreement with the Chinese state-owned company Zijin Mining. For 350 million dollars, it took over almost 63 percent of the Bor mining and smelting basin, which had been ruined by nepotism and corruption. The company was renamed Zijin Copper Bor and by 2023 had quadrupled copper mining – together with another mine in Majdanpek – to 240,000 tons. Zijin reports that in the future, 450,000 tons should be mined."

"The methods of the Chinese company are controversial, as is the procedure of the Serbian state, which still has its share in the company. After their takeover of the mine, emissions of harmful substances in 2019 and 2020 exploded beyond all permissible limits. The wind carries dust from toxic waste under the open sky into Krivelj and Bor."

"The Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP) declared Serbia the most polluted country in Europe in 2020, with Bor ranking first (...) Local rivers are also polluted far beyond permissible levels. A report by the Ministry of Health and the state Institute for Public Health Batut on Bor turned out to be so dire that the authorities kept it secret for years."

The author describes the problems of the local population whose houses and land obstruct the expansion of the mine. These people are being pressured, and at the same time, they have been offered the nearby Šarbanovac as a relocation site. However, its residents had no idea that their land was supposed to serve as land for the relocated residents of Krivelj. A difficult tug-of-war ensued between the residents of Krivelj, Šarbanovac, and the authorities, a tug-of-war that continues to this day. The residents of Šarbanovac do not want to give up – or sell – their land.

However, "after the adoption of a legally questionable law in 2015, it is easy to expropriate land in Serbia if it serves the public interest. Thus, in Belgrade, private owners lost their land due to the controversial 'Belgrade Waterfront' project and, according to a human rights report, were compensated with sums far below the market value of the land."

"In the case of Krivelj as well, the plan of the Ministries, the City of Bor, and Zijin foresees the relocation of residents and the expropriation of their land, primarily for the public interest," the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung writes.