SERBIA: Lithium mining protests & more – 30th July 2024

Dobar dan from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Serbia Update from the 30th of July twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Serbia.

Across Serbia, multiple towns carried out protests against lithium mining in the country on Monday the 29th, and Tuesday the 30th. Activists from all over Serbia harshly opposed the trending Jadar mining project led by Rio Tinto, an Australian mining giant, mostly due to environmental concerns.

In Arandjelovac, one activist said that the opening of the Jadar mine could be disastrous for the entire country, as it could promote mining in other parts of Serbia and thus spread environmental damage. Protesters from Sabac called on the government to halt the Jadar project forever. Activists from across the country said that they aim to form a broad social front to lead this cause.

Recall that in the last update, we mentioned that the Serbian government recently renewed Rio Tinto’s license to mine lithium and boron in the western Jadar region of the country, with support from the EU, despite the public disapproval of the project. The main cause of concern was the damage lithium mines are known to cause, such as irreversible water and land pollution.

Speaking of pollution, another mine in Serbia has been a cause of concern to the locals in the western town of Bor. Ever since the Chinese Zijin Mining Group took over the massive copper mining and smelting complex in twenty eighteen, official data on the level of air pollution in Bor showed that the mine is emitting high levels of toxins.

Toplica Marjanovic, a local who has been regularly monitoring this data, said that there has been a considerable increase in the concentration of heavy metals in Bor since April twenty twenty-three, around the time Zijin opened a new factory as part of the project. The heavy metals present in the air in Bor include mostly arsenic and cadmium, both of which are known to cause cancer and pose other serious health risks. Marjanovic also noted that Zijin selectively picks data they share with the public about their impact on the environment, adding that the company did not share any data from twenty eighteen to twenty twenty-one.

On Wednesday the 24th, the European Commission, or EC, published its annual report on the Rule of Law in Serbia. In the report, the EC noted that the judiciary and the prosecution services are faced with a high level of political pressure. They said that government officials, including at the highest level, and members of Parliament, often make undue public comments on ongoing investigations and court proceedings, adding that such comments go against the code of conduct of all Parliament and Government members.

Additionally, the EC said that the country lacks a court management system that interlinks cases across courts and prosecutor offices.

The Commission also commented on recent concerns about the safety of journalists and the independence of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media, or REM, and noted that REM is failing to safeguard media pluralism and professional standards. The EC report added that the safety of journalists is a source of concern as is the growing pressure from abusive lawsuits.

In other news, Serbian patriarch Porfirije along with the Patriarch John X of Antioch called for an immediate end to the Israel-Palestine war. During a discussion, the two patriarchs spoke about the importance of dialogue and efforts to establish peace. They underlined the toll such conflicts take on people, after which they urged Israel to end its attack on Gaza.

In some news about the economy, the National Bank of Serbia published the results of a survey that analyzed the financial sector’s inflation expectations for twenty twenty-five. The survey showed that the financial sector expects the year-on-year inflation to be around four percent in June next year, which is roughly where it currently stands. It also showed an expected inflation to increase to six percent during February twenty twenty-five, followed by a slow decline over the following months.

Still in economic news, the state statistical office reported that the average net monthly wage for the month of May amounted to around 930 dollars, while the average gross wage was around 1,300 dollars a month. Compared to the same period last year, both the average gross and net wages increased by almost twelve percent. The median net wage in May of this year was around 720 dollars a month.

On Wednesday the 24th, the Ministry of Mining and Energy launched a public debate on the Draft Energy Sector Development Strategy. The draft proposes an introduction of greenhouse gas emissions taxing, considers the introduction of nuclear energy, and predicts the capacity of wind and solar power plants to amount to more than ten GigaWatts by twenty twenty-forty.

The ministry explained that the ongoing wars and geopolitical conflicts have prompted Serbia to prioritize energy independence, as opposed to Serbia’s current reliance on Russia for gas and on Ukraine for electricity. They also noted that they will focus on decarbonization, as well as on phasing out coal by the year twenty twenty-fifty. in an attempt to shift to the use of renewable energy sources.

In other news, on Monday the 29th, the daily Vecernje Novosti news outlet reported that the waiting lists for surgeries in Serbia are growing. Namely, there are more than 67,000 patients awaiting surgery of some sort across Serbia, and depending on the surgery, they could wait for up to four more years. Vecernje Novosti said that the wait for hip replacements and knee operations is the longest since those health concerns are not terminal.

Although, some think that the wait times for surgeries are prolonged in order to force patients to turn to private clinics, which offer the same surgeries, but faster. However, private clinics charge a hefty price for those surgeries. And as a big portion of surgeons work in both public and private clinics, it has prompted many, such as the former health minister, to think the long waiting lists are used for the monetary gain of surgeons.

On an unrelated note, the organizers of the Belgrade Pride Week announced that this year’s edition of the event will take place from the 2nd of September until the 8th of September, with the pride march scheduled for the 7th. With the slogan Pride is People, the aim of the event is to highlight the violence queer people in Serbia face on the daily, caused by homophobia and transphobia.

The organizers reiterated their demands from last year’s pride week, calling for the adoption of the Law on Same-Sex Marriages, and of the Law on Gender Identity and Rights of Intersex Persons. Additionally, they called on the state to boost education about sexual orientation and gender identity.

This year’s pride week will feature a series of cultural, artistic, and educational events, as well as panel discussions, debates, and other activities.

Speaking of cultural events, the Olympic team of Serbia joined the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics on Friday the 26th, parading along the Seine River. More than one hundred athletes will represent Serbia across fifteen different sports. Serbian President Vucic also attended the ceremony, and together with the French Minister, opened an installation titled Roots which aims to showcase Serbian culture and history.

Now back to events in Serbia, the town of Divcibare is holding its annual Mountain Music Fest from the 2nd to the 4th of August. The festival, infamous for its forest ambiance, is perfect for those who enjoy mountains, fresh air, and alternative music. The ninth edition of the festival will feature numerous famous music artists, such as Partybreakers, Mortal Kombat, Who See, and many others. The tickets are available on the festival’s website, retailing for around thirty-five dollars for all three days, while children below the age of ten enjoy free entry. For more information, check out the link in the show notes!

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

Do you know that besides the Serbia Update, we also do others? Our latest ones are the Arctic Update, about the area north of the Arctic Circle, the Ocean Update, about the 70% of the earth covered in salt water, and the Multilateral Update about all the world's major multilateral institutions. The other ones are all country updates, we have a selection of countries from Africa, Asia, South America, and Europe. Check roroshok.com/updates to see the full list and find the link in the shownotes as well.

Do daljnjeg, zbogom!