German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Friday in Belgrade that the Jadar project, which envisages the creation of a lithium mine in the western part of Serbia, is a good thing for this country.
Scholz and the Vice-President of the European Commission, Marosh Shefçovic, have emphasized that during the mining of this important mineral, the highest standards for the environment will be respected, Radio Free Europe broadcasts.
Both officials have talked about the benefits of the lithium mining project, as the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vučić, has faced opposition from environmentalists and residents of the area, who have concerns about the environment.
During the Summit for Sustainable Raw Materials in Belgrade, the European bloc and Serbia have signed a memorandum of understanding for strategic partnership regarding sustainable raw materials, the production network of batteries and electric cars.
This meeting happened a few days after the Government of Serbia reviewed the Jadar project, which envisages the opening of a lithium mine in the Jadra valley in Serbia by the world giant, Rio Tinto.
Scholz said in a joint conference with Shefcovic and Vucic that Jadar is a European project.
According to the German chancellor, lithium will be as important for mobility in the future as oil has been until now.
He said that the project is positive for many reasons, including increasing the perspective and creating new jobs in Serbia.
“The decision requires courage, we are taking an important step, by extracting lithium in Serbia we can fulfill the goals for the climate”, said Scholz, adding that “we need batteries”.
The European Union is trying to reduce dependence on Chinese imports, while Germany is Europe’s biggest producer of electric cars, which run on lithium batteries.
Vucic said after signing the memorandum that he is happy “for what started today”.
“This is important for Europe, for Germany, but for us in Serbia it is probably the most important. This is a turning point and a great opportunity for us”, said Vucic.
He said that he did not hide from his interlocutors the difficulties faced by the Government of Serbia regarding lithium mining.
The Serbian president has said that Serbia will insist on protecting the environment, considering it an “essential aspect”.
