Zlatko Kokanović, a 48-year-old farmer and president of the Association "Ne damo Jadar" from Gornji Nedeljice, and other locals, launched protests across Serbia to prevent the opening of Rio Tinto's first lithium mine in Europe. They warn that it would pollute their land and endanger people's health.
Last month, the Serbian government approved the continuation of the lithium mine construction project in the Jadra valley in the west of the country, which was halted two and a half years ago after protests by environmental groups. It would be the largest lithium mine in Europe.
Warnings from Kokanović and his neighbors about the harmful effects of mining have motivated thousands of people to protest against the Rio Tinto project in dozens of cities across Serbia in the past month. At all gatherings, it was requested that the government adopt a law on a permanent ban on geological research and the exploitation of lithium and boron in Serbia. The deadline for the adoption of that law, which environmental associations have set for the authorities, is August 10.
Representatives of the "Ne damo Jadar" association announced that starting Sunday, if the law is not adopted, they will organize blockades in many cities.
Kokanović does not expect that the law on the permanent ban on research and exploitation of lithium in Serbia will be adopted by August 10.
"The government can pass that law only under the pressure of the people, as they did in 2022 when they repealed the decree on the implementation of the 'Jadar' project. On Saturday, August 10, we will have to show ourselves and it will depend on us what the government will have to do next," he told the Beta agency.
The government believes that this project is a key way to strengthen Serbia's economy, and it has not yet considered this request, according to Reuters.
The government can pass that law only under the pressure of the people, as they did in 2022 when they repealed the decree on the implementation of the Jadar project
Kokanovic, a father of five who farms 30 hectares of land and produces up to 100.000 liters of milk a year, warns that substances including arsenic and sulfuric acid used in lithium processing, as well as dust, will cause serious pollution.
"(The mine) would mean the destruction of Serbia at the expense of our health, so that the European Union would be freed from reliance on China (for lithium), so that (the EU) could live healthy and their children could breathe clean air," Kokanović told Reuters. "Now I can say: There will be no mines here."
Kokanović said that the protests will escalate if the government does not abandon the project and that at tomorrow's meeting in Belgrade, he will announce the next steps to prevent the opening of lithium mines throughout Serbia.
"This is literally a fight for the survival of Serbia, and not only for Gornje Nedeljica and Loznica. If the project for the exploitation of lithium and boron in Jadro passes, all others in the territory of the whole country will pass and we will be turned into a mining colony," said Kokanović.
The €2,4 billion Jadar project would cover 90 percent of Europe's current needs for lithium, which is a key component of batteries for electric cars and mobile phones.
Kokanovic's neighbor, Marijana Petkovic, said her community is so upset about the Rio Tinto project that it is ready to physically stop the machinery from building the mine.
"We will defend our houses, our land, our church and our cemetery. Further radicalization will be the next step," she told Reuters.
Rio Tinto said in June that recently published environmental studies showed the project would be safe for local communities.
In an effort to allay fears of deadly pollution, the Serbian Ministry of Health on Tuesday formed a commission to study the impact of lithium mining on human health.
"This is another form of manipulation, you noticed that the entire government advertises the Jadar project on their Instagram profiles, so this is another new team of people who will literally work for them," Kokanović told "Danas" regarding the formation of the lithium team Minister of Health Zlatibor Lončar.
Lončar said yesterday that the attacks on the team only give his members more motivation to be stronger in order to show how much they love Serbia, stating that they have been treating people all their lives.
The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, has repeatedly reiterated that the mine should start operating in 2026 "if the profession guarantees that there will be no threat to the environment and people's health".
On July 19, Vučić, German Chancellor Olaf Šolz and EU Energy Commissioner Maroš Ševčovič signed an agreement that would provide producers from EU member states with access to raw materials mined in Serbia, which would include lithium.
The agreement should reduce the EU's dependence on imports from America and Asia.
The participants of the protest on the main square in Kragujevac on Wednesday evening said that they will not give up the fight against the mine.
"We don't want lithium in Serbia. If the damage to the environment is greater than the economic benefit, then it is clear (why that project is not good), Aleksandar Janković from Kragujevac told Reuters.
Bonus video:
