Travelling through the picturesque Jadar valley in Serbia, nestled closely to the Bosnian border, the eye is captivated by waving cornfields and quaint farmhouses with charming, rust-red roofs. However, this rural idyll is abruptly disrupted as one turns into the village of Gornje Nedeljice, where a grim assortment of windowless houses stand, adorned with warning signs indicating “No Entry”.
This tranquil village with a population of 700 is currently the epicentre of a potent conflict involving the residents and the national government. President Aleksandar Vucic recently enabled Rio Tinto, the Anglo-Australian mining behemoth, to commence the creation of a €2.2 billion mine. This endeavour purportedly threatens to drastically reshape vast stretches of this fecund terrain and could supply up to 90% of the EU’s lithium essential for the batteries powering their green revolution.
At first glance, this arrangement seems mutually beneficial. Serbia, eager to join the EU, has concurred on a “strategic deal” with Brussels, pledging to supply around 60,000 tonnes of “white gold” to the collective, including brands like Germany’s Mercedes-Benz. In return, Serbia anticipates receiving a whopping investment of €5.5 billion, which would equip them to produce electric vehicles and batteries domestically. This is seen as a positive omen by those hopeful that Serbia is truly sliding into the EU’s sphere, despite its existing friendly ties with Russia.
Yet, the stage set to welcome Rio Tinto for drilling and to unveil the mine by 2028, is met with staunch resistance by the relentless village of Gornje Nedeljice. For local dairy and livestock farmer, Zlatko Kokanovic, this is a fight for his very existence. From his simple wooden hut surrounded by already sold-off land, Kokanovic, the figurehead of the Ne damo Jadar (We Won’t Give Up Jadar) movement, narrates how he turned away the company officials when they first arrived four years back, promising contributions to local institutions and providing expensive machinery vouchers to the village farmers.
A father of five, hailing from a lineage that has historically resided in the area for seven generations, firmly resisted selling his land, in spite of threats of governmental enforcement to sell for a trifling third of what multinational mining group, Rio Tinto, proposed. “My children are the proprietors of this land; it is not mine to sell,” Kokanovic insists, concerned about the perceived attempt by the European Union to exploit their natural resources for their green initiatives and leaving Serbia to endure the resultant mining waste.
Environmental enthusiasts express grave concerns about the potential contamination resulting from waste deposits in the flood-prone Jadar valley. They believe that toxic waste might taint the Korenita and Jadar rivers, leading to downstream pollution affecting the Drina river, flowing into Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the Sava river, culminating into the Danube in Belgrade. Warnings have been raised about broad-scale ecological effects, impacting forests, grasslands and agricultural areas, with a domino effect endangering 145 protected species native to the region.
In a report released by Reuters in July, Rio Tinto confirmed that their project would comply with rigorous environmental standards, involving substantial legal, environmental and permitting processes, and public consultations prior to initiation. The corporation had previously published studies in June indicating that the project posed no danger to the local populace.
In a recent development, the Serbian Health Ministry assembled a panel tasked with analysing the impacts of lithium mining on human health. In a statement to the press on Wednesday, Vucic said further excavations are on hold for the next two years, dismissing concerns as needless hysteria.
Rio Tinto, who have suggested they will transform liquid waste into “dry cakes”, need 220 hectares for the subterranean mine, and reportedly have already procured approximately 70% of the land for the proposed operation. Local environmental groups like Ne damo Jadar anticipate the requirement of an additional over 600 hectares for infrastructure including transport, waste disposal and others, asserting that the complete project could disrupt the lives in 22 villages.
Nebojša Petkovic, an insurance agent aged 52, asserts that Gornje Nedeljice was first on the hit list due to the presumption that its small, somewhat uneducated farming community could be influenced easily. Out of an estimated 200 homes in the village, 30 have traded hands to date, he divulges. The situation has led to family divisions, accompanied by disputes on whether to sell or keep their properties. He spoke of fear gripping a portion of the populace and shared tales of misfortune.
Awaiting her two offspring at the village’s primary school gates is the 34-year-old economist, Natasa Pavlovic. She fears the mining endeavour could bring ruination to the lives of the villagers. “We have a deep love for our village and we don’t wish for it to alter,” she claims. However, she stands firm in her belief that the inhabitants will prevail. As she interprets it, Gornje Nedeljice’s villagers have “awakened…the entirety of Serbia”.
Indeed, resisting Rio Tinto’s efforts has fuelled the nation’s drive, leading experts to opine that this matter has aroused the most significant government challenge ever since the renowned Bulldozer Revolution. This world-changing event witnessed the Serbian people topple domineering ruler Slobodan Milosevic back in 2000.
Though Milosevic is a thing of the past, the region maintains its instability. Belgrade stands accused of silently endorsing ethnic Serbian separatists in Bosnia adjacent and staunchly rebutting Kosovo’s standalone state status.
Vucic, Milosevic’s former information minister, has displayed growing dictatorial traits, chiefly during the sudden parliamentary and local elections of last year. The elections were denounced as biased by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and allegations of serious anomalies, including purchased votes and ballot-box stuffing, were raised.
In the light of the decline in democratic values, the biggest lithium mine in Europe has transformed into a potent symbol of public discontent. Merely two years ago, spurred by protestors’ demands preceding the 2022 general elections, the President nullified Rio Tinto’s permit. However, having securely emerged victorious from supposed fraudulent national elections last year, he reincarnated the project, fortified by the constitutional court’s decision that its prior prohibition was unlawful. Now, the trust put in the President hits rock bottom.
Despite EU engagement efforts, proponents for reform in Serbia feel short-changed by the bloc. The nation’s governance on law, stance regarding Kosovo, another potential EU entrant, as well as refraining from sanctioning Russia over the Ukraine issue, paint a bleak picture of Serbia’s aspirations to join the bloc – regardless of the abundance of mineral resources. At a recent rally attended by thousands in Šabac, located approximately 50km away from the mining sites, Nebojsa Zelenovic, the co-leader of the eco-friendly Together party said, “What’s the aim? For Serbia to become a member of the EU under Vucic’s leadership? That’s improbable.”
He fears that the current regime is on the verge of transforming Serbia into a large-scale mineral exploitation hub, capitalising on the nation’s rich deposits of strategic minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, gold, and silver – a move he believes will come at the significant cost of environmental degradation, leading to the ‘future decomposition’ of the country.
Numerous protests attended by a politically diverse crowd, including liberals advocating for democracy, far-right ethno-nationalists and activists from across the environmentalist spectrum, have been staged in the past week. “This is the most significant issue of the last quarter-century. It’s a fight for survival,” expresses Tatjana Markovic Topalovic, a representative of the Serbia Centre party, amidst loud whistles and horn blasts. “We aim to integrate into the EU, but we refuse to become the bloc’s waste disposal site.”
National sentiment is veering towards Russia, with past grievances resurfacing amidst current concerns. Milos Vukic, a young electrical engineer, asserts that Serbia is better off independent of the EU. He suggests that Vucic, the nation’s president, is progressively relinquishing control over the country. He equates the mining scheme to the Kosovo situation, accusing the leader of gradually relinquishing territorial control.
Despite the opposition, Vucic remains committed to the project, proposing a referendum on its legitimacy, which was later modified to a possible withdrawal poll. Displeased by this, activists have indicated their intent to obstruct transportation networks unless the government imposes a ban on lithium and boron mining activities and geological investigations by the 10th of August.
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