World News Serbia court rejects govt bid to revoke lithium project Blog

The Serbian Constitutional Court has ruled that the government’s 2022 decision to revoke Rio Tinto’s spatial planning permit for a lithium mining project was unconstitutional.

Following massive protests from environmental activists, the government revoked Rio Tinto’s approval for the $2.4 billion ($3.5 billion Australian dollar) lithium project in January 2022.

“The government exceeded the limits of its competence by adopting the regulation in a manner that is not in accordance with Article 3 of the Constitution and the provisions of the Government Act and the Environmental Impact Assessment Act,” the court ruling said.

If the Jadar lithium project in western Serbia is realized, it could meet 90 percent of Europe’s current lithium demand and help make the company a leading lithium producer.

Lithium is mainly used in batteries for electric vehicles and mobile devices and is considered a critical raw material by many major economies.

On Thursday, several hundred demonstrators gathered in front of the Constitutional Court building to demand a halt to lithium exploration, saying it was harmful to the environment.

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