The European Commission on Tuesday designated Serbia’s contentious Jadar lithium mining project, led by Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto, as one of 13 new strategic projects under its Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), despite ongoing domestic opposition and the lack of national approval.
The Commission’s decision, which includes projects in countries such as the United Kingdom, Norway, Brazil, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, aims to reduce the bloc’s dependency on third-country suppliers and accelerate the green transition.
“The selected Strategic Projects will benefit from coordinated support by the Commission, Member States and financial institutions in the form of facilitating access to finance and contacts with relevant off-takers,” the EU executive said in a statement.
Serbia’s Jadar project, which targets a significant lithium deposit critical to electric vehicle production, has faced years of public resistance over environmental and health concerns. Protests in 2021 forced the government to revoke a decree approving the project’s spatial plan, though this decision was overturned by Serbia’s Constitutional Court in 2023, prompting renewed demonstrations.
Ana Brnabić, Speaker of Serbia’s National Assembly, welcomed the EU’s move during a visit to Brussels, calling it “great news” and claiming it would create 20,000 jobs. President Aleksandar Vučić has yet to comment.
Rio Tinto, which had applied for strategic status with Serbian consent, said the Commission’s designation confirms the project meets EU standards of “technical feasibility, environmental protection, social responsibility, and governance.”
Opposition parties and environmental groups strongly criticised the decision, arguing it undermines rule of law in Serbia and poses long-term ecological risks. All opposition MPs had previously sought to ban lithium mining through legislative amendments, which were rejected by the ruling majority.
The Commission clarified that its recognition does not oblige national authorities to approve the project. Serbia’s Ministry of Environmental Protection issued terms of reference for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in November 2024. Rio Tinto must submit the full EIA study by November 2025 for evaluation.
The Jadar project’s strategic designation grants it faster EU-level permitting processes and potential financial backing. However, its future remains uncertain, pending domestic regulatory decisions and continued public scrutiny.