The project was proposed by Anglo-Australian Rio Tinto to develop Europe's largest lithium mine in the West Serbian region of Jadar, causing significant backlash due to its potential environmental damage and exploitation of the local population for economic and geopolitical gain.
[1][2] On 19 July 2024, following EU pressure,[4] President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz, and European Union energy chief Maroš Šefčovič met and signed an agreement regarding the European Union's access to "critical raw materials" mined in Serbia, representing a further step towards facilitating the Jadar mining project.
Many environmentalists argued that the excavation would cause irreversible environmental damage to the agriculturally fertile Jadar valley, while offering limited benefits to Serbian citizens, especially locals in the region.
Between 4,000 and 5,000 tons of rock material will be crushed there daily, treated with 1,000 tons of sulfuric acid, and washed with huge amounts of water, which will then end up in the River Jadar"The group feared that the resulting landfills and pollution would devastate the ecosystem, poison the river's water supply, destroy agricultural farmland, and introduce toxic particles into the air, causing significant increases in disease and cancer rates.
He referred to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as a "little American puppet" who was content with displacing the citizens living in Gornje Nedeljice that "feed Serbia".
"We are dealing with a company that no normal country would welcome, but that's why they found Aleksandar Vučić, a great brave fighter, who does not have the courage to defend his people but put himself in the service of Rio Tinto.
In Kraljevo, activist Nebojsa Kovandzic rallied protesters around the claim that the Serbian government was prioritising its interests towards economic and diplomatic opportunities over those of the citizens.
Many environmental groups threatened to escalate future protests, announcing plans to block major railroads and junctions in August 2024 as a form of civil disobedience.