Thousands of people across Serbia took to the streets to protest a lithium excavation project that the Serbian government recently signed with the European Union. The protests, which were held in the western town of Sabac and the central towns of Kraljevo, Arandjelovac, Ljig and Barajevo, followed a series of similar demonstrations in other Serbian towns in recent weeks.
The controversial deal, which was signed earlier this month, is aimed at securing “critical raw materials” to reduce Europe’s dependency on China and bring Serbia closer to the European Union. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attended the summit in Belgrade. However, the agreement has faced fierce opposition from environmentalists and Serbian opposition groups, who argue that it would cause irreversible environmental damage while offering little benefit to the Serbian people.
The largest lithium reserve in Serbia is located in a fertile western valley, rich in both land and water resources. Multinational company Rio Tinto had begun an exploration project in the area several years ago, but massive opposition from locals led to its suspension. Earlier this month, however, Serbia’s constitutional court overturned the government’s decision to cancel a $2.4 billion mining project with Rio Tinto in the Jadar valley, clearing the way for its revival.
In 2021, widespread protests, including major road and bridge blockages in Belgrade and elsewhere, forced the Serbian government to pause the project. These protests were the largest challenge to the increasingly autocratic government of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. Vučić has stated that any excavation would not begin before 2028, and that the government would ensure strict environmental guarantees before proceeding. Some government officials have also hinted that a referendum on the issue could be held.
However, Monday’s protesters, many of whom expressed distrust in the government, vowed to prevent the excavation from moving forward. “They have usurped our rivers, our forests,” said Nebojsa Kovandzic, an activist from Kraljevo. “Everything they (the government) do, they do for their own interests, never for us, the citizens.” In Kraljevo, protesters chanted “thieves, thieves,” while in Sabac, demonstrators marched through the streets waving Serbian flags after their rally.
