IDM Short Insight 45: Lithium, Democracy & EU popularity in Serbia

What’s the latest in the debate about the controversial Jadar lithium mining project in Serbia? Why did the National Convention on the EU, a Serbian civil society platform, send a letter to the European Commission? Watch the most recent IDM Short Insights to find out! Rebecca Thorne (IDM) and Strahinja Subotic (CEP) reporting from Belgrade.

Transcript:

Last week, Serbian civil society sent a letter to the European Commission about the controversial lithium mining project, which has already been the subject of large-scale protests in Serbia.

Why is this important?

This is very important because the National Convention on the EU represents the voice of Serbian citizens, of Serbian society, as a platform that gathers several hundred civil society organizations, and that’s why their voice really matters.

What is the letter about?

The letter cautions against the inclusion of the lithium mining project on the list of strategic projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act. This EU regulation came into force last year to ensure that the EU has secure and sustainable access to the key resources it needs to achieve its objectives in the energy, digital, defence and aerospace industries. Selected strategic projects will receive financial support and benefit from shorter permitting procedures. Lithium is defined as critical for the energy transition due to its use in electric cars and in the renewable energy sector. And one of the biggest deposits of lithium in Europe is in an EU neighbouring country, Serbia.

What concerns does the letter raise?

Essentially, the concerns expressed by the National Convention stem from three sub-concerns. The first one is related to the already weak rule of law in Serbia. They believe the project will further weaken our democracy given that we don’t have a good oversight and that it could breed corruption. Second, they are afraid of the environmental impact of the project. The Rio Tinto company doesn’t have a good track record and people know it here. And that’s why two-thirds, basically even more, of our population disapproves of the project. So environmental issues are getting more and more traction here. And thirdly, they are afraid that this will turn the negotiation process of Serbia into a transactional game. That this will further boost Vučić’s, or our president’s, external legitimacy. And that’s something they want to avoid given the ongoing historical developments in Serbia vis-à-vis the student protests.

What happens next?

The European Commission’s response to the letter could shape Serbia’s future. Serbia started accession negotiations with the EU in 2014, and now, over 10 years later, public polls are already showing more opposition than support for the EU. Given that so many Serbians are strongly against the lithium mining project, if the EU ignores the letter, it risks making itself even more unpopular among Serbian citizens, with the next wave of protests directed against the EU and potentially jeopardising Serbia’s future of European integration.

Péter Techet for Napunk (Denník N) on the “Patriots for Europe”

In the Hungarian-language edition of the Slovak daily newspaper “Denník N”; Péter Techet analyzed the new group “Patriots for Europe”, which was founded in the European Parliament with far-right parties, including those from Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Austria. Techet thinks that the new faction is essentially a rebranding of the former “Identity and Democracy” (ID) faction, as most member parties come from this group. However, the rebranding allows Viktor Orbán and Andrej Babiš, who were not part of ID, to present the new faction as their success. Techet interprets Marine Le Pen’s decision to remain in this group as a choice against the moderate path taken by Giorgia Meloni and her “European Conservatives and Reformists” (ERC) faction. Although the new “Patriots” faction will become the third strongest force in the new European Parliament, Techet does not expect it to significantly influence European politics, as the informal coalition between the European People’s Party (EPP), the Socialists (S&D), and the Liberals (Renew) still holds a majority. Additionally, the far-right parties are still divided on issues such as the war in Ukraine.

The article (in Hungarian) can be read here.

IDM at the 11th Danube Participation Day

On 19 June the 11th Danube Participation Day took place in TU the Sky Vienna. During the Agora, participants were invited to present their current projects and NGOs. The IDM, represented by Research Associate Sophia Beiter and trainee Francesco Danieli, used this opportunity to present the project EUact2!

Here you can find our presented poster: EUact2 posters

Here you can find all presented projects in the Online Agora.

Malwina Talik im ZiB2-Gespräch über die Liberalisierung des Abtreibungsgesetzes in Polen

Malwina Talik (IDM) war am 25. Jänner in der ZiB2 bei Margit Laufer zu Gast. Dort hat sie die Pläne zur Liberalisierung des Abtreibungsgesetzes in Polen analysiert und mögliche Hürden besprochen.

Sehen Sie sich das Interview hier an.

Hoffen auf Europa: alte und neue Versprechen einer gemeinsamen Zukunft

70 Years IDM: Slovenia 

Gespräch mit dem deutschen Botschafter in Slowenien Adrian Pollmann im Rahmen der Sommerakademie des Max Weber-Programmes der bayerischen Landesbegabtenförderung (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes) 

23. August 2023, 15:00 Uhr

Juristische Fakultät, Poljanski nasip 2, 2000 Ljubljana 

Jobs and open calls

Currently there are no vacancies or open calls.

If you are interested in our traineeship programme, please visit our trainees and fellows page.

Regional perspectives on the war in Ukraine

Date/Time
October 24, 2022
15:00 – 18:00 CEST/CET

 

The University of Applied Sciences Erfurt in cooperation with the Universities of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt, Coburg and Potsdam as well as the University of Klagenfurt and and the Department of International Social Work of the German Social Work Association are organizing a digital lecture series in the 2022/23 winter semester entitled “No War. Education as a practice of peace”. At the opening event on October 24, IDM Managing Director Sebastian Schäffer gave a lecture on “Regional Perspectives on the War in Ukraine”. He first outlined the current situation in the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and tried to classify it historically. He then described the developments in EU-Russia and Ukraine-Russia relations since the collapse of the Soviet Union and opened up possible future scenarios for ways out of the war. Afterwards, he discussed with the numerous participants and answered questions. The other topics and dates of the digital lecture series are noted in the flyer below, free participation is possible without registration.

A publication is also planned afterwards. “War and Conflict. Peacebuilding as a challenge and field of work”, edited by Tanja Kleibl, Caroline Schmitt, Karsten Kiewitt and Ronald Lutz, is to be published by Beltz Verlag, Juventa in 2024.

Author:
Sebastian Schäffer

 

You might also be interested in:

Regional Perspectives on the War in Ukraine

What Is Vladimir Putin’s Endgame?

The General Assembly 2022

Flip-book-muster

IDM Short Insights 16: Constitutional referendum in Serbia

 

In January 2022 the citizens of Serbia had to decide whether or not they are for the reform of the constitution. What is the recent constitutional referendum about and how will it impact Serbia’s path to the European Union? Nina Vorgić (IDM trainee) gives an overview of the process and context of the referendum.