Scholz and Sefcovic in Belgrade for a summit on raw materials

(ANSA) - UDINE, 19 LUG - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz this morning in Belgrade.
    Scholz arrived late yesterday to attend the summit on strategic raw materials.
    Maros Sefcovic, Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for the Energy Union is also in Belgrade for this purpose. The agreement to be signed between Serbia and the European Union will also cover the supply chain of batteries and electric vehicles and aim to ensure that strategic raw materials identified and extracted in Europe remain within European borders.
    The summit in Belgrade follows Serbia's recent decision to revive a project to exploit a significant lithium deposit in the country's west. The project had been put on hold in recent years due to widespread public protests over concerns about the environmental and health impacts of lithium extraction, a crucial component for electric car batteries. However, the Serbian Constitutional Court recently ruled that suspending the lithium exploitation project was unlawful. This prompted authorities to prioritize and reintroduce the project, citing significant economic and employment benefits for Serbia.
    President Vucic and the government have emphasized that any operational decisions regarding the lithium mine will be made with strict assurances on protecting the surrounding environment.
    Chancellor Scholz is accompanied during the meeting in Belgrade by representatives from Mercedes Benz and officials from several financial organizations and European banks. Vucic and Scholz met yesterday on the sidelines of the European Political Community's previous summit in the United Kingdom.
    (ANSA).