SABAK, Serbia (AP) — Thousands of people demonstrated in several towns in Serbia on Monday to protest a lithium mining project that the Balkan country’s government recently signed with the European Union.
Protests were held simultaneously in the western town of Sabac and the central towns of Kraljevo, Arandjelovac, Lij and Barajevo. Similar rallies have followed in other Serbian cities in recent weeks.
A deal reached earlier this month on “critical raw materials” could reduce Europe’s dependence on China and push Serbia, which has close ties to Russia and China, closer to the EU. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attended the summit in Belgrade.
But the deal has been heavily criticised by environmentalists and opposition groups in Serbia who say it will cause irreversible damage to the environment while bringing little benefit to citizens.
Serbia’s largest lithium reserves are located in a western valley rich in fertile land and water. Multinational Rio Tinto started an exploration project in the area several years ago, which sparked strong opposition, forcing it to suspend the project.
But earlier this month, Serbia’s Constitutional Court overturned the government’s decision. previous decision A $2.4 billion mining project launched by a British-Australian mining company in the Gadar Valley has been cancelled, paving the way for its revival.
Serbian government Cancellation decision The drilling plans came after thousands of protesters in Belgrade and elsewhere in Serbia blocked major roads and bridges in 2021 to oppose Rio Tinto. Protests These were the greatest challenges facing the increasingly authoritarian rule of the Serbs. President Aleksandar Vucic.
Vucic said no drilling would start before 2028 and that the government would seek strict environmental guarantees before allowing drilling. Some government officials have hinted at the possibility of holding a referendum on the issue.
Protesters who gathered in Serbian cities on Monday said they had no trust in the government and would not allow drilling to continue.
“They have raped our rivers and forests. Everything they (the government) do they do for their own interests, not for the interests of us citizens,” said activist Nebojsa Kovandzic from the town of Kraljevo. “Thieves, thieves,” the crowd in Kraljevo chanted.
In the town of Sabac, protesters waved Serbian flags and marched through the town after the demonstration.
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