Serbia could suspend lithium deal with Rio Tinto

SARAJEVO (Reuters) – Serbia may soon decide to cancel all contracts related to the Rio Tinto (NYSE 🙂 mining group’s project in the country, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on Saturday as green groups blocked roads across Serbia in protest. plan.

Rio Tinto wants to develop a mine near Loznica, west of the Jadar Valley, but the local council has already rejected a plan https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/rio-tinto-pause-lithium-mine-serbia- post-protest -report-2021-12-23 for the allocation of land for this purpose.

Development is part of Serbia’s efforts to invest and promote economic growth. But environmentalists have protested and cut off roads to end the press project to the authorities, which they say would cause irreparable damage to the environment.

Rio said all developments will comply with internal and European Union environmental regulations.

The protests have caused political upheaval in President Aleksandar Vucic loyal to the ruling coalition ahead of the April elections.

“We didn’t bring them (Rio Tinto), we didn’t make promises, we didn’t do anything that the people didn’t know,” Brnabic told Pink TV, saying the government is close to accepting all environmental demands.

“We have worked in a transparent manner, we have listened to the people,” Brnabic said, adding that the government must see how much it would have to pay if the agreement was canceled.

Brnabic also said the government wanted to reach a consensus on any decision by President Aleksandar Vucic, saying it was opposed to complying with “requests from foreign services and agencies.”

Vucic has repeatedly said that the opening of the mine would depend on the results of an environmental study and a referendum.

Protesters who blocked internal roads in the capital Belgrade want the government to ban the extraction of lithium from any other company except Rio Tinto.