Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic said on September 10 that no one will simply take Anglo-American multinational Rio Tinto "at its word" and the state will instead seek documented guarantees ahead of work on a recently revived -- and fiercely contentious -- plan to create Europe's biggest lithium mine in that Balkan country.
Vucevic's comments followed a weekend meeting with citizens by Rio Tinto representatives and President Aleksandar Vucic, who has been one of the multibillion-dollar Jadar project's most vocal supporters since a memorandum of understanding was inked between Rio Tinto and the Serbian government in 2017.
Vucevic, who became prime minister in early May, said the Serbian state won't allow lithium mining without guarantees that water and public health will be protected.
"For the first three or four hours, people asked questions," Vucevic said of the weekend forum. "For the first time, we heard Rio Tinto's answers. We faced arguments. The situation is much clearer and better when there is communication."
Vucevic said the Serbian public still hadn't gotten answers to many questions. "If we preserve nature and people, only then can we think about the economic benefit," he said.
The project's permits were revoked by a previous government in 2022 under intense public pressure over land sales and environmental concerns from the mine, before a Constitutional Court decision reversed the stoppage in July and the government quickly revived its preparations.
SEE ALSO: Protests Flare Up In Serbian Towns Over Reversal On Huge Lithium MinePublic anger in the heavily polluted former Yugoslav republic re-erupted and significant protests have continued despite what demonstrators complain is a refusal by Serbian state television to adequately cover the outcry.
Rio Tinto, which has faced backlash over alleged failures at other projects around the world, says Jadar could provide nearly 60,000 tons of lithium a year and thus meet about one-fifth of the needs for Europe's electric-vehicle production.
The company has previously told RFE/RL's Balkan Service that "domestic and international experts have confirmed that the 'Jadar' project can be implemented safely and in accordance with the highest standards of environmental protection."
Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic (file photo)
In a notable indication of support for a project seen as furthering the bloc's climate and energy-independence goals, German and EU officials traveled to Belgrade in conjunction with a memorandum of understanding on "a strategic partnership on sustainable raw materials, battery value chains, and electric vehicles."
Lithium is used in batteries for electric cars, smartphones, and laptops.
The European Union mostly depends on China for its lithium, which it classifies as a critical raw material.
Energy Minister Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic last week lamented that "we have already lost two years -- we could have been first in this race," but said it could take another two years for Rio Tinto to secure the proper permits for construction of the mine.
She said an environmental impact study was essential to any further progress.