On the face of it, there seems to be little in the way of connection between the treatment of Novak Djokovic by Australian authorities and the cooling of the Serbian government towards Rio Tinto.\u00a0 The Anglo-Australian mining giant was confident that it would, at least eventually, win out in gaining the permissions to commence work on its US$2.4 billion lithium-borates mine in the Jadar Valley.<\/p>\n
In 2021, Rio Tinto stated<\/a> that the project would \u201cscale up [the company\u2019s] exposure to battery materials, and demonstrate the company\u2019s commitment to investing capital in a disciplined manner to further strengthen its portfolio for the global energy transition.\u201d<\/p>\n The road had been a bit bumpy, including a growing environmental movement determined to scuttle the project.\u00a0 But the ruling coalition, led by the Serbian Progressive Party, had resisted going wobbly on the issue.<\/p>\n Then came the maligning of the world number one tennis player in Australia.\u00a0 Djokovic had been tormented by a brief spell of confinement in quarters normally reserved for refugees kept in indefinite detention, and eventually defeated in the Full Court of the Federal Court.\u00a0 During the course of events, he saw his visa cancelled twice, first by a member of the Australian Border Force, the next time by Immigration Minister Alex Hawke.\u00a0 Along the way, lynch mobs were thrilled that \u201cNovaxx\u201d Djokovic, that great threat to Australia\u2019s vaccinated innocence, was finally on a flight home.<\/p>\n The Serbian government attempted to intervene.\u00a0 President Aleksander Vu\u010di\u0107 made a plea to the Morrison government to resist cancelling Djokovic\u2019s visa; the Australian Open was the Serbian tennis player\u2019s favourite tournament, one he had won numerous times.<\/p>\n A diplomatic incident, more murmur than bark, was sparked.\u00a0 \u201cIn line with all standards of international public law, Serbia will fight for Novak Djokovic,\u201d promised<\/a> the Serbian premier.\u00a0 But for an Australian government that has flouted international law and fetishized border control, the call mattered little.<\/p>\n In Serbia, Rio Tinto then faced a rude shock.\u00a0 The Vu\u010di\u0107 government, having praised the potential of the Jadar project for some years, abruptly abandoned it.\u00a0 \u201cAll decisions (connected to the lithium project) and all licenses have been annulled,\u201d Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabi\u0107 stated<\/a> flatly on January 20.\u00a0 \u201cAs far as project Jadar is concerned, this is an end.\u201d<\/p>\n Branabi\u0107 insisted, somewhat disingenuously, that this decision merely acknowledged the will of voters.\u00a0 \u201cWe are listening to our people and it is our job to protect their interests even when we think differently.\u201d<\/p>\n This is a bit rich coming from a government hostile to industry accountability and investment transparency.\u00a0 The same government also decided to begin<\/a> infrastructure works on the jadarite mine before<\/em> the granting of an exploitation permit.\u00a0 Such behaviour has left advocates such as Savo Manojlovi\u0107 of the NGO Kreni-Promeni wondering<\/a> why Rio Tinto was singled out over, for instance, Eurolithium, which was permitted to dig in the environs of Valjevo in western Serbia.<\/p>\n Zorana Mihajlovi\u0107, Serbia\u2019s mining and energy minister, preferred to blame<\/a> the environmental movement, though the alibi seemed a bit forced.\u00a0 \u201cThe government showed it wanted the dialogue \u2026 (and) attempts to use ecology for political purposes demonstrate they (green groups) care nothing about the lives of the people, nor the industrial development.\u201d<\/p>\n Rio Tinto had been facing an impressive grass roots militia, mobilised to remind Serbians about the devastating implications of proposed lithium mining operations. The Ne damo Jadar<\/em> (We won\u2019t let anyone take Jadar) group has unerringly focused attention on the secret agreements reached between the mining company and Belgrade.\u00a0 Zlatko Kokanovi\u0107, vice president of the group, is convinced<\/a> that the mine would \u201cnot only threaten one of Serbia\u2019s oldest and most important archaeological sites, it will also endanger several protected bird species, pond terrapins, and fire salamander, which would otherwise be protected by EU directives.\u201d<\/p>\n Taking issue with the unflattering environmental record of the Anglo-Australian company, numerous protests were organised and petitions launched, including one<\/a> that has received 292,571 signatures.\u00a0 Last month, activists organised gatherings and marches across the country, including road blockades.<\/p>\n Djokovic has not been immune to the growing green movement, if only to lend a few words of support.\u00a0 In a December Instagram story post featuring a picture of anti-mining protests, he declared<\/a> that, \u201cClean air, water and food are the keys to health.\u00a0 Without it, every word about health is redundant.\u201d<\/p>\n Rio Tinto\u2019s response to the critics was that of the seductive guest keen to impress: we have gifts for the governors, the rulers and the parliamentarians.\u00a0 Give us permission to dig, and we will make you the envy of Europe, green and environmentally sound ambassadors of the electric battery and car revolution.<\/p>\n The European Battery Alliance, a group of electric vehicle supply chain companies, is adamant<\/a> that the Jadar project \u201cconstituted an important share of potential European domestic supply.\u201d\u00a0 The mine would have \u201ccontributed to support the growth of a nascent industrial battery-related ecosystem in Serbia, contributing to a substantial amount to Serbia\u2019s annual GDP.\u201d\u00a0 Assiduously selective, the group preferred to ignore the thorny environmental implications of the venture.<\/p>\n The options facing the mining giant vary, none of which would appeal to the board.\u00a0 In a statement, the company claimed<\/a> that it was \u201creviewing the legal basis of this decision and the implications for our activities and our people in Serbia.\u201d\u00a0 It might bullyingly seek to sue Belgrade, a move that is unlikely to improve an already worn reputation.\u00a0 \u201cFor a major mining company to sue a state is very unusual,\u201d suggests<\/a> Peter Leon of law firm Herbert Smith Freehills.\u00a0 \u201cA claim under the bilateral treaty is always a last resort, but not a first resort.\u201d<\/p>\n Another option for punters within the company will be a political gamble: hoping that April\u2019s parliamentary elections will usher in a bevy of pro-mining representatives.\u00a0 By then, public antagonism against matters Australian will have dimmed.\u00a0 The Serbian ecological movement, however, is unlikely to ease their campaign.\u00a0 The age of mining impunity in the face of popular protest has come to an end.<\/p>The post Serbia Stomps on Rio Tinto\u2019s Lithium Mining Project<\/a> first appeared on Dissident Voice<\/a>.\n This post was originally published on Dissident Voice<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On the face of it, there seems to be little in the way of connection between the treatment of Novak Djokovic by Australian authorities and the cooling of the Serbian government towards Rio Tinto.\u00a0 The Anglo-Australian mining giant was confident that it would, at least eventually, win out in gaining the permissions to commence work [\u2026]<\/p>\n The post Serbia Stomps on Rio Tinto\u2019s Lithium Mining Project<\/a> first appeared on Dissident Voice<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[212,175,635,35,9264,75],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486734"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=486734"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486734\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":488424,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486734\/revisions\/488424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=486734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=486734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=486734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}