An employee looks at sample trays of jadarite, containing lithium and borate, at the Rio Tinto research center in Loznica, Serbia.
Photographer: Oliver Bunic/BloombergFight Over Europe’s Biggest Lithium Mine Gets Geopolitical
Rio Tinto’s planned $2.7 billion project in Serbia has triggered protests, but the country’s president sees it as critical to strengthening ties with Europe.
The primroses and chrysanthemums are Zoran Filipovic’s best sellers, their vibrant colors filling his greenhouses in the Serbian village where he lives. Now, he says, the prospect of Europe’s biggest lithium mine down the road is making the future less bright.
He and his wife, Gordana, fear that pollution will make their business unviable. “Everything you see here could be gone in a few years,” said Filipovic, 55, who in protest is refusing to sell his land to make way for mining facilities.