15 September 2024

The chief executive of Anglo-American mining company Rio Tinto has alleged via local media that his company and its controversial multibillion-dollar plans to create Europe's largest lithium mine in Serbia are the target of a "carefully designed and well-organized" disinformation campaign.

Rio Tinto CEO Jakob Stausholm used the text ...to push back against widespread public protests at the recently revived project, which has enflamed fears of further environmental damage in one of the Balkans' most polluted regions.

"The topics of the project's development confuses, disturbs, and divides people," he wrote, according to a Beta news agency report of the forthcoming letter, adding, "Our employees are exposed to threats and intimidation on the Internet"...

Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic has long backed the 250-hectare Rio Tinto mine project in the western Jadar Valley, saying it will create jobs.

Vucic and Rio Tinto representatives met and took public questions at a forum...in Ljubovija designed to address some of the Serbian public's concerns.

Vucic ally and recently appointed Prime Minister Milos Vucevic then vowed his government would insist on written guarantees about the safety of the project before allowing it to go ahead.

Rio Tinto says the mine's potential capacity of 60,000 tons per year of lithium could supply nearly one-fifth of the continent's needs for a budding market for batteries for electric cars.

It has repeatedly said it will operate the mine safely and maintain high environmental standards...Environmental and other local groups quickly accused Rio Tinto and the government of ignoring their concerns...