IN THIS EPISODE
As protests against lithium mining intensify across Serbia, fears of environmental damage and distrust in government accountability are uniting citizens like never before. Could this rare unity spark broader democratic change?
In this episode of #BalkansDebrief, Resident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare explores the roots of this resistance with Ivanka Popovic, founder of the ProGlas movement and professor at the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy at the University of Belgrade. Together, they discuss the environmental, social, and political implications of the controversial Jadar Valley lithium project.
With backing from EU leaders and major automobile companies, how is the role of foreign investment in shaping Serbia’s mining policies perceived, and what impact does this have on local communities opposing the project? How have recent protests, accented by the Novi Sad tragedy, influenced public trust in the government’s ability to manage environmental concerns associated with pollution and contamination? Discover the factors driving this movement, the role of grassroots activism, and the potential consequences for Serbia’s democratic future.
FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Ilva Tare
Welcome to Balkans Debrief. I’m Ilva Tare , a resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Centre. Today we will focus on the growing protests in Serbia over the controversial lithium mining project in the Jadar Valley. While the government promotes this initiative as a game changing boost to the economy, local communities are sounding the alarm on environmental risks and government accountability—heightened by the recent tragic loss of 14 lives at Novi Sad railway station.
Joining me today is professor Ivanka Popovic, one of the founders of the ProGlas movement and also a former rector of the university of Belgrade. Thank you and welcome Ivanka. I hope we will discuss about the roots of this resistance, the government’s ambitions, and what this all means for Serbia’s future.
Ivanka Popović
Thank you, Ilva, it’s pleasure to be here.
Ilva Tare
Thank you so much. And I’ll start with the first question that is around the fact that, what do you think in your view, what has driven such a rare unity among Serbian citizens against this project, the lithium mining, despite their political or social differences?
Ivanka Popović
Well, I think we, what we’re seeing now is the culmination of the system breaking down and not meeting citizens’ expectations. First and foremost, many of the communal services such as the water supply, sewage, landfills, sanitary landfills, they’re all failing in the respect that they’re not functioning.
So something as challenging and high tech as a complex that would include a mine, a processing plant, and then also a landfill, a place where you would leave the residue of the process, is something that has, I have to say, really made people frightened, because people have lost trust in the system, in the various safeguards that exist through the functioning of institutions, independent institutions that would monitor the process.
This would not function for the needs of the people, but for the needs of those who would earn some money off of this project. And this is a real fear, because as I said, we’ve seen very simple projects fail.
For example, I’ll give you one really shocking event. For example, you have simple water supply systems in Serbia that provide running water. More than one third of this water is lost somewhere in the pipe because they have holes. So if we cannot even provide a full transfer of running water, how can we talk at all about some kind of higher technological level?
And the second point that I would like to make, there are some other projects that have already been realized in Serbia that have caused significant pollution and have affected the health of citizens in the eastern part of Serbia.
So when people put two and two together, it doesn’t really matter what your political affiliation is. You are really needing to respond to protect yourself and your family and your future.
Ilva Tare
Professor, I wanted to ask you, how are the citizens and you that are part of the protest and other citizens that have joined this cause, how do you balance the concerns about the environmental damage that you are mentioning with the potential economic benefits, such as jobs and infrastructure investment from this project, the Jadar lithium?
Ivanka Popović
So I would like to make something very clear. I am a chemical engineer and I fully understand how such a processing plant could function. And with all the potential that could exist, and even then there would be some risk. Considering how this country functions, I think it’s a really serious issue that we are facing here.
And my second point that I want to make, this is not a population that is against technological progress. Because for decades, and in former Yugoslavia, this was an area that was really growing very quickly in terms of economic development, industrial growth. But what we see now is the offset of potential gains, which I have to say would not be significant because the multilateral company Rio Tinto is the owner of this complex. And actually the very poor arrangement of how Serbia would be compensated in terms of mining fees is such that there would be significant revenue for Serbia. On the other hand, the potential problems are tremendous. And I will also explain why this is an unusual situation that we have with this potential complex.
First of all, it’s situated in fertile agricultural land that has for centuries been used for these purposes. It is one of, while not a breadbasket, it’s a place where fruit, vegetables are grown, there is very lively agricultural activity.
And the second point, because of the increasing threat of lack of quality water supply, this location is directly above what is a very significant aquifer. It’s a regional reservoir of underground water that in the future could supply Belgrade and surroundings and also this area.
Any type of interference above ground could pollute this water. So I think it’s a gamble that many people do not think is worth it, because even if there were money to compensate for damages, the funds required to correct the situation would far outweigh what the actual economic gain was.
So as a concerned citizen, but also as someone who is I think sufficiently technically literate, I could say that this is a very, very risky project that would not provide the benefits that Serbia needs. And I do believe that Serbia needs that economic development, industrial growth, but maybe in projects that would not be so rich yet.
Ilva Tare
Professor, apart from the government backing this project, there are EU countries, governments and corporate support for the lithium mining in the Jadar Valley. How do you think the citizens and the protesters can have their voice, concerns heard compared to the West, let’s say, supporting this project of the government?
Ivanka Popović
Well, this is also something that has disturbed people. As you know, Serbia is a candidate country that has not been very, let’s say efficient, in fulfilling the requirements to join the European Union. So, it’s still a long road ahead.
But on the other hand, Serbia has signed an agreement with the EU dealing with critical resources. And because these lithium reserves are quite significant, there are also other resources available in Serbia. And this is time, as I said, when you have a mutually beneficial partnership that will be beneficial for both sides.
What I see here is that maybe that there is on the side of the European Union, unfortunately, more a belief that the benefit would outweigh the risks. And of course, the benefit would be all exclusively for the European Union and not for us.
And what we have seen is also that Chancellor Scholz, the German Chancellor, visited Serbia in the summer. And there was, as I said, this agreement that was signed also with Sefcovic from the European Union. And in some ways, Germany almost wanted to provide guarantees that the project would run smoothly, but as you know, then I don’t believe that in any case in history that one country could guarantee for another country the implementation of a project. And what we all have seen is the collapse of the German coalition in power, so I think there will be new elections in Germany. No one can guarantee who the new German Chancellor will be.
So this is more or less, I have to say, a smokescreen for the Serbian government to say, the Germans are guaranteeing this, so it’ll be fine. It won’t be fine. And each country is responsible for, well, its own activities. And I think we have to be very responsible for our own population. We don’t want to be uncooperative, and we also—or some of us here—want to be part of the European Union, but in a way that we would like to see an even a partnership that would not somehow see as a relationship where one side is having much more benefits.
Ilva Tare
How do you assess the government’s handling of the public opposition to the lithium mining? And in your view, what steps are needed to address citizens’ concerns? Is there, in your opinion, any potential ideal scenario that all the concerns, environmental concerns can be addressed and the project can continue?
Ivanka Popović
Well, I would say that this is an issue that far surpasses environmental issues. We’re talking about the need for social change in this country and a government that would be willing to implement it.
And if you know, in 2022, there were mass demonstrations in Belgrade and other places in Serbia, where the number of people that were actually protesting was such that the government pulled the plug on this project, halted it, and said they will stop the project.
That was 2022. After elections this year, which were a very specific process where fortunately the population became fully aware of the amount of manipulation and tampering with voting that was occurring. In the summer, we also had very, very large, demonstrations dealing with it, you know, because after the elections in June, the government said, yes, we are now continuing with the project, knowing that there will be less opposition because there are no new elections in sight.
But this is something that really disturbed people and brought them out into the streets again. So what we’re seeing is an abuse of power by the government, so we all fully recognize that in a democracy, the majority will rule, but if this majority has been made to manipulate the processes, which is highly probable in this case, then you wonder about the legitimacy of this government.
Also, when the institutions have been hijacked, when you have a judiciary that is not responding in the proper way, but only for the needs of the government, and independent institutions that could monitor not only the environmental aspect, but any other aspect, like the financial aspect, anything that is going on. We are really worried.
And the recent tragedy in Novi Sad, this is a town 80 kilometers to the north of Belgrade, where the roof of the newly renovated train station collapsed, killing now 15 people and leaving two people fighting for their lives. It’s something that really sent the message home. You know, the first aspect with Jadar, we know the consequences of mining in eastern Serbia. Now we know because of very questionable contracts that were signed, obvious and significant corruption that is going on, a train station that was opened twice in the previous years by politicians and hailed as a tremendous step forward has made it insecure that no matter where you are in Serbia, in some kind of a building that has been somehow maybe renovated, you are really risking your life.
And I don’t think that fear is the best driving force for social change, but it’s becoming quite a significant factor to make people aware of their rights as citizens and that they need to do something to make a change and change this country into a functioning democracy where government works for the people and not so that the people are working for the benefit of the government.
Ilva Tare
And as one of the founders of the ProGlas movement—“For vote” movement—how do you see grassroots activism shaping national debates on issues like lithium mining?
Could this current public outcry over lithium be a catalyst for broader democratic changes in Serbia, in your view?
Ivanka Popović
Yes Ilva, I think you’re quite right because this—ProGlas is a play on words. It means “Pro vote”, but it also means “pro voice,” because Glas is voice. That means we would like, as a group, to be an initiative that makes people socially aware and aware of their civic rights and duties as active citizens to maintain our society and get it moving in the right direction.
The various civic initiatives have increased over the years because citizens are disappointed by opposition parties that somehow are not managing to voice the needs of the citizens and are maybe seen sometimes as maybe looking for their own narrow interest, to maybe enter parliament, which is maybe being too rough on this opposition, which is very weak and is not sufficiently united, but it’s clear that it’s not only citizens groups, grassroots organizations, but all also these opposition parties and perhaps new ones that will, grow out of these grassroots organizations will be needed.
It will have to be a very massive front encompassing all parts of the political spectrum and active citizens to try to make a change. So yes, I think this is a topic, because if you look at it either from an environmental, political, economic, any aspect, it’s a sort of a showcase of everything that’s wrong in this country and what we need to do to change it.
So I think, yes that this is the beginning of a movement that will continue and it will be very, very persistent and have a lot of energy. It does not matter how long it will take, but it will try to change this country for the better.
Ilva Tare
And lastly, how has media coverage shaped public opinion on the issue of the lithium mining and the civic movements that it has sparked in your view?
Ivanka Popović
Oh, that’s a very sensitive issue. Let’s say it’s a very depressing one.
Serbia, as you know, unfortunately does not have freedom of the press. You have a state-controlled media, regardless of whether they are state-funded or private, and you actually have only a few independent media that do not have national coverage.
So at the moment, all national coverage is by government-controlled media. A lot, a good part of the population is not even getting a balanced view of what is going on. It has increased the importance of social networks trying to get the message out because, as I said, this is not someone trying to sell a better product. It’s a question of providing the population with all the necessary information so that they themselves can make a decision on what they want to do. If they don’t want to do anything, that’s fine, but they need to have all the information and they don’t have it now.
Ilva Tare
Do you think this protest, and as I said, this rare unity among Serbian citizens will be successful in the end? And what will success be for you? What will it look like?
Ivanka Popović
Well, I’m always an optimist, so yes, I believe that we will prevail in the end, but it’s the learning curve.
Serbia is a country that has a very fragile democracy. It doesn’t have a democratic tradition, and therefore it doesn’t have a population that is used to being active in governance, more of a passive situation where more or less you vote, agreeing or not agreeing fully with what’s going on, and then you sort of are the recipient of what the government calls out for you.
Now we are trying to show, and really working on it, to show that the government—the citizens themselves have the power and duty to change the situation in this country. So yes, I’m optimistic, but I cannot give you a time frame.
Ilva Tare
Thank you very much for sharing your concerns and I wish you the best of luck with raising the voices and concerns and this activism that you are keeping alive in Serbia. Thank you Professor Popović.
Ivanka Popović
Ilva thank you very much. And I would just like to say one thing at the end.
I think it’s very important to understand that this is an autonomous, really unique situation where you can hear the voice of the Serbian people.
This is not an imported revolution or imported or somehow manipulated situation. I think we are now really seeing and hearing that people want change. Thank you so much for your time.
Ilva Tare
Thank you.
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