According to Reuters, a German government spokesperson stated that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit Serbia on July 19 and hold talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Key raw material supplies will be an important theme of this visit. Scholz, along with European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic, will attend a key raw materials summit where Serbia and the EU will sign a memorandum of understanding to establish a strategic partnership on sustainable raw materials, battery supply chains, and electric vehicles.
At a routine government press conference in Berlin on July 17, Scholz said: “The meeting aims to discuss Serbia’s sustainable lithium mining project, further develop the European raw materials agenda, and reduce the risk of raw material sources.”
The visit comes after the Serbian government reinstated Rio Tinto’s mining license, allowing the company to develop Europe’s largest lithium mine to boost the European electric vehicle industry.
The Jadar lithium project in western Serbia, with an investment of $2.4 billion, could meet 90% of Europe’s current lithium demand if successfully developed and help Rio Tinto become a leading lithium producer. However, Serbian environmentalists and opposition parties strongly oppose the project.
[Source – 上海有色网] 德国总理将访问塞尔维亚 商讨欧盟原材料协议 https://news.smm.cn/news/102859943