BERLIN, (Reuters) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will travel to Serbia and hold talks with President Aleksandar Vucic on Friday, a German government spokesperson said, naming critical raw materials as a key theme of the trip.
Scholz is set to attend a critical raw materials summit together with European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic, during which Serbia will sign a memorandum of understanding with the European Union on a strategic partnership over sustainable raw materials, battery supply chains and electric cars.
“The background to this is a project for sustainable lithium mining in Serbia. Overall, it is about the further development of a European raw materials agenda and the derisking of raw material sources,” the spokesperson said at a regular government news conference in Berlin on Wednesday.
The visit comes after the Serbian government reinstated a licence for Rio Tinto, to develop Europe’s biggest lithium mine in a potential boost to the continent’s electric vehicle industry.
If developed, the $2.4 billion Jadar lithium project in western Serbia could cover 90% of Europe’s current lithium needs and help make the company a leading lithium producer.
However, there has been strong opposition to the project from environmental activists and opposition parties in Serbia.
Reporting by Rachel More Editing by Miranda Murray
