Kokanovic: There won't be a lithium mine because the people don't want it, the Jadar River has been flooding that area since yesterday

The activist of the movement "Ne damo Jadar" Zlatko Kokanovic said yesterday, on the occasion of the confirmation of the company Rio Tinto that it had submitted the project "Jadar" to the competition for strategic projects of the European Commission, that no matter what someone in the country and abroad decides, "there will be no lithium mine near Loznica because the people do not want it. The president (Aleksandar Vucic), even with the political situation in the country and even with the fact that Rio Tinto has not completed the Environmental Impact Study, finds time to talk about lithium and, as if he were a prophet, knows in advance that the study will confirm that the mine is harmless to the environment and human health," said Kokanovic for Beta.

He pointed out that he was telling the current government, the EU and the European Commission that the people would not allow the opening of lithium mines in Serbia.

He added that since the afternoon of the previous day, the Jadar River had overflowed and flooded the exploitation area of the mine, indicating only one of the many dangers of opening the mine.

Rio Tinto submitted the Jadar project to the tender for strategic projects announced by the European Commission last year under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), which recognizes strategic raw materials as key to 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 EU. On Tuesday, the European Commission published a list of selected strategic projects from the territory of the EU, while those outside the EU will be selected later.

Three days ago, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, after a conversation with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that selected projects outside the EU, including the "Jadar" project, would be announced a few days later.

Ne damo Jadar Loznica

Rio Sava Exploration d.o.o. Beograd

Ne damo Jadar

Rio Tinto

Zlatko Kokanović

lithium mine