Photo: DW"If the legal framework were stabilized, I would say that Rio Tinto would definitely respect environmental and social standards," said Hildegard Bentele, representative of the European Parliament for critical raw materials from the Christian Democratic Union, about lithium mining in Serbia.
Hildegard Bentele from the Christian Democratic Union, representative of the European Parliament in the Commission for Critical Raw Materials, which compiled a list of strategic projects of the European Union, says that it is Project "Jadar" frozen.
"He still owns the exploitation rights." Rio Tinto. If the legal framework were stabilized... I would say that Rio Tinto would definitely respect environmental and social standards. It would be a very modern mine with a very large deposit, and a very special one at that of lithium. This would mean a lot for the supply of Europe raw materials, and it would be very good for the Serbian economy," Bentele told Deutsche Welle.
She reminded that she was the former German chancellor Olaf Scholz offered an idea with Volkswagen, with the production of batteries in Serbia, "which would mean the creation of additional value on the spot".
"I still think that it would have positive effects for the Serbian economy. But that can only be realized if the legal framework is safe and reliable. And that is not the case at the moment and I don't think it will be, as long as Vucic in power in Serbia," said Bentele.
When asked whether today's Serbia is a reliable partner of the EU, given that the European Parliament strongly criticizes violence against peaceful protesters, pressure on the judiciary and free media, Bentele says that "it is really difficult to choose good partners."
"That's how it is with raw materials, they are found where they are. They are often countries in Central Asia or Africa, that is, in countries where democratically legitimized governments that pay attention to human rights are not necessarily in power. It is a thin wire that we are walking on. Serbia is a candidate country for joining the EU, which means that it is on its way to respecting the standards Of the European Union, we must not forget that. It is important to us that these standards are respected. I had a lot of contacts with Rio Tinto. "They confirmed to me from that company that they want to respect them," said Bentele.
She states that the big problem with the "Jadar" Project was the behavior of state authorities, i.e. their (un)reliability regarding licenses, but also the public's doubts about the work of state authorities.
"I think those doubts were justified. That is why Rio Tinto's decision to stop the implementation of the project in the Jadra Valley is understandable. The European Union will not put pressure on Rio Tinto to continue working on it, because it is simply too risky," said Bentele, and that "the project was suspended, even though it was marked as strategically important for the EU and put on the list."
But if the company does not want to push the project, he explains, the EU will certainly not be active in that matter because the legal framework is too uncertain, so "the project is suspended and nothing will change."
When asked, however, if the project is "definitely dead or only temporarily dead", she answers:
"The project is frozen. The exploitation rights are still owned by Rio Tinto. If the legal framework were stabilized... I would say that Rio Tinto would definitely respect environmental and social standards. It would be a very modern mine with a very large deposit, and very special lithium. It would mean a lot for the supply of raw materials to Europe, and it would also be very good for the Serbian economy."
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