Rio Tinto has confirmed that it has submitted its "Jadar" lithium mining project to the European Commission's strategic projects competition last year, the European Western Balkans (EWB) portal announced today.
This competition is part of the EU's Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), which recognizes strategic raw materials as crucial for the success of the green and digital transition and defines strategic projects that contribute to security of supply.
The public call was also open to projects outside the European Union, and the European Commission published a list of selected strategic projects from the territory of the European Union on Tuesday. Projects outside the European Union will be selected at a later date, Rio Tinto told the EWB portal, answering the question of whether "Jadar" had been applied to the European Commission for "strategic project status".
"We firmly believe that the 'Jadar' project, which we are developing on one of the highest quality and best explored lithium deposits in Europe, has enormous development potential for Serbia, with numerous benefits for the local community," Rio Tinto said in a statement.
The company claims that "this project provides Serbia with the opportunity to become a leader in the development of critical raw materials necessary for a new industrial revolution."
"But it cannot be implemented until we prove, in a legally defined process through the development of an environmental impact assessment study, that it is safe for the environment and human health," Rio Tinto stated.
In July 2024, the European Commission specified to EWB that neither Rio Tinto, nor any other company, can apply for a project to the European Commission for strategic status, "without first obtaining approval for that application from the country in which the project would be implemented."
Under the Critical Raw Materials Act, before considering an application, the Commission must obtain direct approval from the non-EU country in which the project would be implemented.
Even if the European Commission declares a project strategic, the authorized bodies of the countries in which the projects would be implemented are not required to issue permits to contractors, the European Commission told the EWB portal.
The European Commission announced yesterday that it has adopted for the first time a list of 47 strategic projects for critical raw materials, the implementation of which should "strengthen the European raw materials value chain and diversify sources of supply".
Projects in 13 EU countries were selected, with most projects related to lithium, while the rest were related to nickel, cobalt, manganese and graphite.
The European Commission told EWB that strategic projects for critical raw materials have only been announced in the EU, and that it "has received applications for projects in third countries and a decision on the potential selection of such projects will be made at a later stage."
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced last night, after talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, that the European Commission will declare the "Jadar" project as its strategic project outside the EU next week.
The declaration of "strategic projects" was made in accordance with the CRMA act adopted by the European Union last year to find solutions for the procurement, processing and recycling of critical raw materials in Europe, and secure the supply chain.
Speaking about the rules and procedures of strategic projects in countries that are not members of the European Union, such as Serbia, the European Commission emphasized to the EWB portal in the summer of 2024 that they will also have to meet "high environmental and social conditions", which will also mean that the local community will directly benefit from it.
The Commission explained that the CRMA stipulates that projects to be declared strategic must significantly contribute to ensuring the EU's security of supply of strategic raw materials, be technically feasible within a reasonable time, and ensure that "expected production can be estimated with a sufficient degree of certainty."
Interlocutors from the European Commission said that "the call for strategic projects is constantly open" and that applications will be assessed four times a year.
The EWB was told that even projects that are declared "strategic" will be able to be stopped at any stage of implementation if the European Commission assesses that they do not meet standards, primarily environmental and legal.
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