EU has signed an agreement with Serbia on deliveries of the strongly demanded metal lithium, which is used, among other things, in electric vehicle batteries and mobile phones.
Lithium is seen by the EU as an important piece in the green transition and with the agreement with Serbia, hopes are that it will be possible to further reduce dependence on China.
Recently, a court in Serbia gave the green light for the government to allow Rio Tinto, the mining giant, to extract lithium in the country.
The mining project was put on hold at the beginning of 2022 after violent protests in the country, which eventually led the Serbian government to back down from the plans. The extraction of lithium often leads to problems with significant impact on nature and the environment.
The discovery around the town of Loznica is believed to be the largest lithium deposit in Europe.
There will be no project started without full protection, and we can be sure of that because we will bring the best experts from Europe to Serbia, said Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in connection with the signing of the agreement.
