Agreement of EU and Serbia on lithium in final phase, European commissioner claims

The remaining legal obstacles are being considered before the realization of the trade partnership EU-Serbia for the supply of lithium from the Jadar region comes through, writes Euronews.

– The official trade partnership for the supply of critical raw materials from Serbia is on the horizon, and the negotiations about the legal obstacles are in the final phase – EU commissioner Maros Sefcovic said for Euronews during events at a high level in Brussels.

The trade agreement between EU and Serbia has been in preparation for some time now, with the signing of the letter of intent in September last year – for the purpose of strengthening and expanding the cooperation on the value chains of critical raw materials and electric vehicles – which, as Euronews writes, is “a clear signal that the executive powers of the EU and Belgrade were ready to join forces, provided that the environmental and social challenges regarding the potential mining region are solved.”

On the sidelines of the EIT Raw Materials Summit, recently held in Brussels, Sefcovic talked about the “unique position” of Serbia regarding the minerals mentioned in the European Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), such as high-quality lithium, which he called “one of the best in the world”.

– I hope that, as soon as possible, we will be able to finalize the text of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) – Sefcovic said for Euronews and added that the then talks with the Serbian government were oriented toward the extraction, processing, refining and use of lithium.

– All I can say at this moment is that there is a positive development. There have been some legal difficulties in the past, which are now being considered by the company and the government – said Sefcovic.

Although the Slovakian commissioner did not directly mention the operations of Rio Tinto in Serbia, Euronews reminds that the mining company is trying to renew the environmental permit for activities in the Jadar area, known for its rich lithium sites, after its license was revoked in January 2022 following resistance from ecological groups and the local populace.

Sefcovic said that the executive powers of the EU were in close contact with the Serbian government and that it had provided it with help in order to ensure that all the environmental impact assessments would be done in line with “the highest European standards.”

– I hope that we will see further development on that project, but, of course, that is up to the Serbian government to decide – the commissioner added.

Chad Blewitt, the managing director of the Jadar Project at Rio Tinto, said that, in the summer of 2024, the company would publish the 200-page environmental impact assessment.

The British-Australian group has announced that it is currently awaiting the decision of the Serbian government and expressed hope that it will continue with the project. As Euronews writes, it is expected that they will deliver 58 tons of lithium-carbonate a year, which is enough to supply a million electric vehicles.

– We have nothing to hide, we know that we will bring the highest ecological standards and support the communities that will come to oversee us – Blewitt said for Euronews.

Rio Sava Exploration d.o.o. Beograd

Rio Tinto Exploration Dunav d.o.o. Beograd

Rio Tinto

Maroš Šefčovič

Chad Blewitt

lithium

Jadar

lithium mining

lithium mine

EIT Raw Materials Summit

European Critical Raw Materials Act