The company Rio Tinto announced on Thursday (March 27) that the European Commission's decision to identify 47 strategic projects in the field of critical raw materials confirms the importance of lithium for the energy sector, and the project director "Sailor” Chad Bluit points out that he will not take any further steps in Serbia without proof of safety for the environment and human health.
"We support the decision of the EU to speed up the development of strategic projects and we believe in a responsible approach in the further process of selecting projects outside the territory of the Union," Bluit emphasized.
He adds that no further step in the development of the "Jadar" project will be taken "until we prove its safety for the environment and human health through a transparent and legally prescribed process."
Exploitation of resources on the territory of the EU is a priority
Rio Tinto points out that the Commission's decision clearly shows that the European Union's priority is the exploitation of strategic resources on its own territory and that the alleged claims of a neo-colonial attitude towards Serbia's resources are only part of an aggressive disinformation campaign against lithium.
The largest number of selected projects is related to the mining, processing and recycling of lithium, which shows Europe's determination to ensure the supply of this key raw material, it added.
Rio Tinto indicates that, out of 47 strategic projects, 22 are lithium, and as many as seven include lithium mining from solid rock, a technology comparable to the "Jadar" project.
"With its actions, the European Union clearly shows that it does not see the development of the lithium project as a risk, but as an opportunity for sustainable development, economic competitiveness and strategic security", it is stated.
The Rio Tinto company submitted the "Jadar" project to the competition for strategic projects that the European Commission announced last year as part of the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), with the aim of contributing to the development of the electric vehicle supply chain in Serbia and Europe, in accordance with the highest environmental and regulatory standards of the European Union and Serbia.
The European Commission (EC) adopted on Tuesday (March 25) the first 47 strategic projects for strengthening the capacities of strategic critical raw materials, all of which are located in the member states of the European Union (EU) and were selected from among 122 applicants for a public call published last summer.
Among them there is no "Jadar" project, nor any other project from Serbia. The selected projects, published on the EC website, relate to 14 critical raw materials such as lithium, aluminum, magnesium, cobalt, boron and nickel, manganese, graphite and tungsten.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday (March 25) in Brussels that the European Union will declare the lithium mining project in Serbia "Jadar" as its strategic project outside the EU countries in seven or eight days.
Source: FoNet
