The Jadar project in Serbia, i.e. lithium mining, was allegedly stopped two years ago after mass protests and public pressure due to fear of pollution.
However, at a time when the international company Rio Tinto was preparing the ground for the construction of a lithium mine in Serbia, 60 kilometers to the west, extensive research was being carried out at Majevica in neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Although the public found out about them only recently, citizens and environmental associations immediately raised the alarm, and the local authorities announced a referendum on the potential opening of the mine at the foot of Majevica.
"Should a mine ever be opened, we need to know what technology will be applied and how it will affect the environment and the health of citizens. I think that we will make a definitive decision through a citizens' referendum," said the Mayor of Lopare, Rado Savić.
And in the Swiss company "ArCore AG", whose daughter company was founded in Laktaši near Banja Luka, almost 200 kilometers from Lopar, they say that so far everything has been done in accordance with the highest standards, and that all research in the area of the municipality of Lopar has been completed.
"Everything was carried out in strict compliance with the legal regulations and in accordance with the highest geological and ecological standards that apply to this type of research, both at the local and international level," said the company, announcing that they have all the conditions to move to the next phase.
"The company fulfills all the conditions for submitting a request for the granting of a concession for the use of this European deposit of mineral raw materials. We received a license to explore mineral deposits in 2018, and in the period from 2020 to 2022, three intensive phases of research followed. The mineralogical content of the deposit, which has been researched for the last four and a half years, contains significant amounts of lithium carbonate, magnesium, potassium and boron," the announcement stated.
Results are awaited
The relevant ministry says that they are still waiting, given that not all documentation is ready when it comes to the results of the research.
"They did that within the scope of the current research phase and made a report. Now it's up to them whether they will turn to the government for the concession," Energy Minister Petar Đokić told DW.
The raw material of the future, as many call it, has a key application in the production of batteries for electric cars, medicine, the pharmaceutical industry and other fields.
However, the mining of lithium and its processing are not at all harmless, environmental associations say.
The excavation will be done by a private company, says Tihomir Dakić from the Center for the Environment. He calls it "insane" because, he says, the citizens will not get anything from it and neither will the Republika Srpska, because the concession fees are miserable.
"Who digs? Republika Srpska has nothing to do with lithium mining, but gives permission for it to be worked on by private companies. The research is finished, the information is sold, probably another company comes in to dig and that's it," says Dakić, stating that the excessive interest of foreign embassies in Bosnia and Herzegovina in these processes is symptomatic.
"Of course, if a private company gets a concession and fulfills the conditions, it can work. However, for whose grandmother's health? What does the budget of Republika Srpska, the citizens of Lopar and all other areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina that has become a mine for Europe have to do with that?", asks Dakić.
He recalls the visit of the American, British and Norwegian ambassadors a few months ago to the company "Adriatic Metals", which is engaged in mining zinc and lead ore in the municipality of Vareš. The visitors, as reported by the media at the time, "were impressed by the economic revival of Vareš".
No criticism, please
"After that, thirty associations sent a letter to the ambassadors in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and we still haven't received a response. In the meantime, we received fairly open criticism from the Norwegian ambassador, saying, "Where do we have the right to protest when we are working on a project of the environmental protection association that they finance," says Dakić, stating that it casts a completely different light on interests in mining in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
DW looked for answers in Vareš, where several hundred activists operate and have been warning for years about the harmful consequences left by domestic and foreign companies that exploit ore.
One of the activists is Hajrija Čobo, who was sued by the aforementioned company for defamation. The lawsuit followed a few days after the Secretariat of the Berne Convention ordered the suspension of exploitation works, following the lawsuit she filed last year.
"If Europe conditions us to be its mine, then I would rather join Russia, because the European Union hypocritically rapes us every day," says Čobo, emphasizing that international representatives in BiH do not exert subtle but open pressure on the local government.
"We are tired of the hypocrisy and cowardice of domestic politicians. Whenever there is a complaint against someone on the home field in this sense, you have a corporate visit and support for those people," says Čobo.
Both for and against
Residents of Lopar have different views on the possibility of opening a mine in this locality.
"I'm against it. The boreholes are 100-200 meters deep. Deep water, goes to Sava and Drina. It's polluted. If it encounters lead or gas, there are no more people or animals," says one.
"Everyone should accept it and the countries should move forward. And the municipality of Lopare. Because we have no other income than the mine," says another.
Next week, the Parliament of the RS will consider changes to the Law on Geological Research, so that the approval of the exploration of mineral resources will no longer require the consent of the local self-government, as well as an opinion on the environmental impact assessment.
Minister Đokić says that the changes to that law are a long way off, given the necessary procedure and public discussion until they finally come into force. "That's enough to ask the public what their reactions are to that law. I do not consider research to be harmful, nor can it be harmful," says Đokić.
Member of the List for Justice and Order Nebojša Vukanović says that everything was done behind the scenes of the public, that they gave their consent without the necessary permits, and that the people were brought before a fait accompli.
"We are against it, not because we are against the development of that region, but because mining is done like in Zimbabwe and Sudan. They are not interested in the consequences, the rent is minimal and only a few tycoons can benefit," says Vukanović.
Processing in Serbia?
Environmental associations claim that the intention is to process the lithium from Majevica in Serbia as part of the Jadar project, where they expect Rio Tinto to continue the project stopped two years ago.
The company conducting research on Majevica says that the results so far have shown that there is a possibility of ecologically justified use of mineral raw materials with a focus on "green" exploitation, with reduced carbon dioxide emissions and a demographically favorable impact on the entire community of Lopar.
Unofficial information says that the lithium found near Lopar is worth about ten billion dollars, and that, if mining starts, the excavations would last about 65 years.
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