EditRio Tinto’s lobbying blitz in Berlin paves way for Serbia’s lithium deal
The Jadar project encapsulates a broader struggle: balancing green innovation with ecological and social costs
Global mining company Rio Tinto has orchestrated a calculated lobbying blitz in Berlin, clinching a contentious lithium mining deal in Serbia’s Jadar Valley. This project, pivotal to the EU’s quest for energy independence, is a lightning rod for environmental and political backlash, revealing a tangled web of green ambitions, geopolitical maneuvering, and local resistance.
According to investigative platform Follow the Money, citing unreleased German government documents, Rio Tinto’s relentless strategic engagements with German officials underscore the fierce global race for lithium – at the heart of EV batteries – against a backdrop of escalating tensions.
A masterclass in strategic lobbying
In leaked answers to questions from the parliamentary group of the Left party (Die Linke), the German government revealed on 21 May that Rio Tinto had six contacts with German officials before signing an agreement with the Serbian government that should pave the way for the exploitation of lithium in the Jadra valley.
These included face-to-face meetings, video calls, and phone discussions. The agreement, signed amid pomp with European Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and executives from Mercedes and Stellantis, positions the Jadar Valley as a linchpin in Europe’s EV supply chain. Capable of powering 1 million EVs and meeting up to 25% of Europe’s lithium demand, the project gives flesh to the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), aimed at breaking China’s grip on critical resources.
Key moments in Rio Tinto’s campaign included a September 2023 meeting between Scholz and CEO Jakob Stausholm in Berlin, alongside talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in June 2022 and May 2024. Vučić, confident in “new guarantees” from Rio Tinto and the EU, told the Financial Times that the project could yield 58,000 tons of lithium annually by 2028 – enough for 1.1 million EVs, or 17% of Europe’s production.
“This could transform Serbia and the region,” he declared, eyeing investments in battery and EV manufacturing to create a full value chain. Yet, the project’s promise comes with a dark shadow: fears of groundwater contamination, destruction of fertile farmland, and displacement of communities have sparked fierce opposition.
A green paradox and political firestorm
The Jadar project has reignited Serbia’s protest movement, blending environmental fears with anti-government sentiment. In January 2022, Belgrade revoked Rio Tinto’s permits after mass protests – some blocking highways and bridges – fueled by concerns over water pollution and ecological devastation. Vučić, then facing elections, bowed to pressure but reversed course after his Serbian Progressive Party’s strong showing in June 2024 local elections. The decision helps Vučić’s balancing act as the West, China, Russia, and Gulf states vie for influence in the Balkans.
A surprising figure in this saga is Franciska Brantner, co-leader of Germany’s Green Party and a state secretary in the Green-led Ministry of Economy. Brantner attended five project-related meetings, including two with Stausholm and three with Vučić, earning praise from the Serbian president for her “dedicated work.” Yet, her assurances of stringent environmental standards have drawn sharp criticism. Left party MP Charlotte Neuhauser accused her of offering “empty words to appease the green conscience,” pointing to a 2024 Serbian study revealing elevated boron, arsenic, and lithium levels in rivers near exploratory drilling sites.
Ecological risks vs. economic dreams
Discovered in 2004, the Jadar deposit holds vast lithium and boron reserves, vital for EVs and industry. Spanning prime agricultural land and threatening a major river, it has alarmed ecologists. The German Heinrich Böll Foundation and the state-funded Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) warn of ecological catastrophe and strained EU-Serbia ties, especially amid Serbia’s democratic backsliding. Belgrade-based researcher Aleksandar Matković cautions that prioritizing economic gains over environmental and democratic values could “poison” Serbia’s EU aspirations.
Rio Tinto insists it will meet rigorous Serbian and EU standards, promising thousands of high-skilled jobs and a robust EV supply chain. But accusations of administrative irregularities and state crackdowns on activists have fueled distrust. A pro-Rio Tinto documentary, echoed by the Wall Street Journal, branded opponents as Russian agents – a claim Matković dismisses as “absurd.” Meanwhile, Serbian environmental group Marš sa Drine and Germany’s Green Legal Impact have urged the European Commission to deny Jadar “strategic project” status, citing risks of water and soil contamination, biodiversity loss, and social upheaval.
Geopolitical chess and a looming deadline
The EU’s bet on Jadar, one of Europe’s largest lithium reserves, is a high-stakes move to counter China’s dominance in critical raw materials. The CRMA, effective 23 May 2024, seeks to diversify supply chains, but Jadar’s exclusion from the EU’s March 2025 list of 47 strategic projects hints at its contentious status. With Europe’s lithium demand projected to surge 60-fold by 2050 under the Green Deal, the project remains a flashpoint. Rio Tinto touts “fact-based dialogue” and rigorous environmental assessments, but protests and skepticism persist.
As Serbia navigates its EU ambitions and global powers jockey for influence, the Jadar project encapsulates a broader struggle: balancing green innovation with ecological and social costs. With a potential 2028 opening on the horizon, the controversy shows no signs of abating, leaving Serbia – and Europe – at a crossroads.
Caption: A protestor holds a sign reading `Rio Tinto, Get out of Serbia` during a rally against plans to start mining lithium in Serbia, in Belgrade, Serbia, 10 August 2024. Plans to open lithium mines in Serbia were halted in 2021 after environmental groups started protesting against the proposed projects in different parts of Serbia but several wildlife preservation organizations and NGOs are warning that Rio Tinto and other mining companies have restarted their intentions for operations in the country. [EPA/EFE/ANDREJ CUKIC]
Updated: May 28, 2025 - 15:28
