EU tags Rio Tinto's lithium mine project in Serbia as strategic
Jun 4, 2025, 3:12:57 PMArticle by <https://seenews.com/news/authors/615> Valentina Bajic June 4 (SeeNews) - The European Commission said on Wednesday that it has added Rio Tinto's $2.55 billion (2.24 billion euro) lithium mining project in Serbia to its list of strategic raw materials projects outside the European Union. Copyright © 2023 Rio Tinto Rio Tinto's planned mine is one of 13 raw material projects outside the bloc that the Commission has designated as strategic, complementing a list of 47 strategic projects within the Union, which was adopted <https://seenews.com/news/eu-to-back-romanian-critical-raw-materials-mining-projects-with-615-mln-euro-1272874> on March 25, the EU's executive arm said in a press release. The chosen projects will receive coordinated support from the European Commission, EU member states, and financial institutions, including help with financing and connections to potential buyers. The 13 strategic projects located outside the bloc are estimated to require a total investment of 5.5 billion euro to launch operations, the statement read. "Today's list of 13 Strategic Projects across the world will help to reduce Europe's dependencies, contribute to our economic security while creating growth, jobs and export opportunities in the countries concerned," said Stephane Sejourne, the Commission's executive vice-president for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy. The selected projects were assessed by independent experts to ensure that they meet the criteria established in the EU's Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), which entered into force in May 2024 and aims to ensure the EU's access to a sustainable supply of critical raw materials. Other projects designated as strategic on Wednesday are located in Canada, Greenland, Kazakhstan, Norway, Ukraine, Zambia, Brazil, Madagascar, Malawi, New Caledonia, South Africa and the UK. In July last year, the Serbian government reinstated <https://seenews.com/news/serbia-reinstates-permits-for-rio-tintos-lithium-project-1260638> permits for Rio Tinto's lithium-borate project in the Jadar Valley in the western part of the country, two years after halting <https://seenews.com/news/serbia-revokes-rio-tintos-licences-for-jadar-lithium-mine-project-pm-1203166> it due to environmental protests. Shortly after, Serbia and the EU signed <https://seenews.com/news/serbia-eu-sign-mou-on-sustainable-raw-materials-batteries-evs-1260857> a memorandum of understanding to launch a strategic partnership focused on sustainable raw materials, battery supply chains, and electric vehicles. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic sees the project as key to boosting Serbia’s EU credentials <https://seenews.com/news/eu-to-designate-rio-tintos-lithium-mine-in-serbia-as-strategic-project-vucic-1272881> , amid a parade of EU leaders and U.S. officials visiting Belgrade last year. The permit renewal, however, rekindled <https://seenews.com/news/thousands-rally-in-belgrade-against-rio-tintos-lithium-project-1261983> protests across the country. In a statement on Wednesday, Rio Tinto welcomed the Commission's decision, saying that the decision confirms that the project can be developed in line with EU standards and that it meets criteria on environmental protection, social responsibility and corporate governance. Rio Tinto discovered the jadarite deposit, named after the Jadar Valley, in 2004. At full capacity, the mine is expected to produce around 58,000 tons of battery-grade lithium carbonate annually, suitable for electric vehicle and energy storage use. ($ = 0.897 euro) -- http:www.antic.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SERBIAN NEWS NETWORK" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/senet/026201dbd55e%241493e340%243dbba9c0%24%40gmail.com.
