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What is the connection between German politicians and Serbian lithium?

2024-08-04 15:45:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

"We will not open a lithium mine until the Germans guarantee that we will have clean rivers and mountains," said Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, adding that it is necessary to start a dialogue on the use of this important strategic resource.

The Serbian government suspended the regulation creating a plan for the lithium mining area two years ago, after large protests against the opening of a mine in the Jadar Valley.

At that time, Prime Minister Ana Brnabi? declared: "We have ended the agreement with the Rio Tinto company in Serbia".

Four and a half years later, there doesn't really seem to have been an end, and Brnabic now says that "lithium opponents have slowed everything down," adding that Serbia, "not exporting lithium, but using it domestically for production of batteries, will be positioned as a European leader for the next 100 years".

She criticized those who are against lithium mining, claiming that their opposition is aimed at "destabilizing Serbia". Vucic, on the other hand, claims that the ban on lithium mining in Serbia was "a manipulative move by Western intelligence services to stop our development."

End to end

The Serbian lithium debate, which until now has been a flashpoint between those who argue that the mine would irreversibly destroy nature, and those who believe it would be a significant boost to the Serbian economy, has taken on a new dimension. geopolitically important. The discussion about Serbian lithium was rekindled after the adoption of the European Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), which also mentions lithium from Serbia.

The Serbian President, Aleksandar Vu?i?, and the Vice-President of the European Commission, Maroš Šef?ovi?, signed a pledge to create a strategic cooperation between Serbia and the EU regarding the CRMA act.

From an interview given to the Serbian media by Tilman Kuban, a German MP from the Christian Democratic Union Party (CDU/CSU), it became clear that this is not only an economic-ecological issue, especially after the German MP also met with Vucic and Ana Brnabiç.

Among the many topics mentioned, from football to China and Russia, this relatively unknown politician in Serbia also said this:

"First of all, I can fully understand from Serbia's perspective that everything in this project must be verified and fulfilled, but in the end, I see it as a great opportunity for Serbia to send a message of support to Europe.

This is the key message in this project and we will be very happy if there will be cooperation with German companies that will invest here, not only using raw materials, but also producing batteries", said the Cuban MP.

Just a week later, Vucic called on Germany to act as a judge in the case of lithium mining in Serbia, despite the fact that there have been numerous Serbian scientists, individuals and institutions, from the Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences (SANU), to at the University of Belgrade, who have already expressed their opinions on this matter.

From Merkel to Cuban: Germany's role in the lithium debate in Serbia

Why is Germany now emerging as a major player in the lithium issue? Petar ?urcic, researcher at the Institute for European Studies, says that we should not forget that Germany has shown interest in the exploitation of lithium in Serbia since the issue was first raised several years ago.

In this context, the words of the former German chancellor, Angela Merkel, during her farewell visit to Serbia in September 2021, are very significant.

Asked if Germany was interested in Serbian lithium, since the US and China were also showing great interest, she replied: “When the whole world is interested, we are also interested. We have significant investments in the automotive industry of Serbia and we know what lithium means for battery development and future mobility.

Serbia has something of real value. Of course there are concerns about whether exploitation will be carried out in accordance with ecological standards. The EU has good sustainability standards." So, the issue of ecological standards was already raised by the former chancellor, ?urcic said.

In recent years, the relationship between the Serbian government and Germany has not been as good as Vucic's relationship with Angela Merkel's CDU Party. Tilman Kuban's visit and his statements can be seen in this light.

Although Kuban is not a particularly well-known politician, his message may carry weight, especially since his CDU party has a good chance of returning to power in the next election, given that it now has the highest approval ratings. in Germany.

Petar ?ur?i? explains that Kuban represents a faction within the CDU party, but he also supported Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder, as a candidate for chancellor in the 2021 elections./Monitor