The CEO of the Anglo-Australian mining company Rio Tinto has claimed through local media that his company and its controversial plans to develop Europe’s largest lithium mine in Serbia are being targeted by a “carefully designed and well-organized” disinformation campaign.
Jakob Stausholm, the CEO of Rio Tinto, used a statement reportedly prepared for the Serbian online outlet Politika to respond to widespread public protests against the recently revived project. These protests have intensified concerns about additional environmental damage in one of the Balkans’ most polluted regions.
Stausholm’s statement, as reported by the Beta news agency, suggested that the project’s development issues are confusing, disturbing and dividing the public. He also mentioned that company employees have been subjected to threats and intimidation online, although the report did not specify any details about these threats.
Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic has been a long-time supporter of the 250-hectare Rio Tinto mining project in the western Jadar Valley, arguing that it will create jobs. Last week, Vucic and Rio Tinto representatives addressed public concerns in Ljubovija, taking questions at a forum designed to address Serbian citizens’ worries.
Milos Vucevic, the newly appointed Prime Minister and an ally of Vucic, has pledged that his government will require written guarantees about the project’s safety before allowing it to proceed.
Rio Tinto claims that the mine’s potential annual capacity of 60,000 tons of lithium could supply nearly 20% of Europe’s needs for the growing market of electric vehicle batteries. The company has repeatedly asserted that it will operate the mine safely and adhere to high environmental standards.
Protests erupted across Serbia after the Constitutional Court nullified a previous government’s decision in 2022 that had revoked some initial permits, thus clearing the way for Vucic’s promise to see the Jadar mine project completed. Environmental and local groups quickly accused Rio Tinto and the government of disregarding their concerns.
However, German and EU officials visited Serbia following this decision to sign a document supporting “a strategic partnership on sustainable raw materials, battery value chains, and electric vehicles.”
Stausholm stated that this is the first time in the company’s long history that it is facing such a situation. He noted that all environmental impact assessments include a review period where citizens can be informed, ask questions, and provide comments.
Energy Minister Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic recently mentioned that while “we have already lost two years,” it could take another two years for Rio Tinto to secure the necessary permits for the mine’s construction.
Lithium, which is also used in powering computers and smartphones, remains a key resource for the project.
