In Bijeljina, Zvornik, Lopare and Ugljevik, a petition to protect Majevica and oppose lithium mines will be signed tomorrow

(Patria) - In the cities of Bijeljina and Zvornik, and the municipalities of Lopare and Ugljevik, on Saturday, December 21, the collection of signatures will begin in support of a civic initiative aimed at adopting a decision on a moratorium on geological exploration and exploitation of discovered ores, minerals, and other resources in the area of Majevica mountain, all for the purpose of protecting this area, which was initiated earlier this year.

The petition signing period lasts for 30 days, from December 21 to January 19, 2025, at signing locations that will be announced for each of these municipalities and cities separately.

The civic initiative was launched by the associations Eko put from Bijeljina, Čuvari Majevice, and PEU Korak from Zvornik, which strive to preserve the natural potentials of Majevica, its unique natural and cultural-historical values from the dangers posed by the planned opening of lithium mines and associated minerals.

The population of the Majevica region opposes the opening of this mine, as do the mayors of eight local self-government units from the Majevica region, who have officially expressed this by signing a joint declaration.

The text of the civic initiative, which you can find at this link, has been submitted to the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, which has the authority to make this decision that will determine the fate of the protection of the mentioned area. The next step is collecting signatures from citizens of Republika Srpska, and at least 3000 signatures are needed for the initiative to be officially placed on the agenda of the National Assembly of RS and voted upon.

We remind you that, according to the research conducted and still ongoing, fossil remains of marine organisms dating back to the Pannonian Sea period, ten to fifteen million years ago, as well as endemic species that make this area a priority for Natura 2000 protection, have been found in this region.

For a signature to be relevant, the person must be of legal age and possess a personal identification card with residency in the entity of Republika Srpska.