Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic said the country is still interested in further talks with Rio Tinto about the future of its Jadar lithium mine but called for adherence to the highest environmental standards to greenlight the project.
According to Reuters, Belgrade revoked licences for Rio's $2.4-billion Jadar lithium project in Western Serbia in January 2022 after massive environmental protests. Green activists have repeatedly warned that the mining projects will cause more pollution in Serbia.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Vucic said he had "a difficult conversation" with representatives of Rio Tinto about a possible lawsuit against the Serbian government related to the project's cancellation. The president added that he had sought Rio's assurances about adherence to the highest environmental standards if the Jadar project were to continue.
"[Rio Tinto] must offer the cleanest solutions, which could be satisfactory to our people, the highest standards in the world for the nature and the people who will work there," he said.
In an emailed sent to Reuters, a Rio Tinto spokesman said: "We continue to believe the Jadar project ... could act as a catalyst for the development of other industries and tens of thousands of jobs for current and future generations in Serbia."
If completed, the project could supply 90% of Europe's current lithium needs and help to make the company a leading lithium producer.
Theodor Lisovoy, Editor in Chief of the European bureau, Rough&Polished
