The Role of Serbia in the European Green Deal

With the adoption of the European Green Deal in 2020, the EU set in front of itself a goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. As the EU pivots toward sustainability and climate action, Serbia finds itself at a critical juncture in the transition to a green economy. Serbia’s prospective lithium production is perfectly aligned with the EU’s requests to address its vulnerability of access to critical minerals. This conversation aims to explore Serbia’s emerging role in the lithium market—a key component in the production of batteries for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage—against the backdrop of the EU’s ambitious climate goals. While analysing Serbia’s role as a potential supplier of critical raw materials in the context of the European Union’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, the conversation aims to assess the potential economic benefits of lithium mining, including job creation, investment attraction, and regional development, while also addressing the risks of neglecting the standards of the rule of law and respect for human rights, over-dependence on raw material extraction and the environmental impact of lithium extraction and processing. Is Serbia able to attract investments to secure not only mining but also critical processing, and lithium battery production is done on its territory? Do the economic benefits outweigh the risks of environmental degradation of lithium extraction and processing? Can Serbia align its mining operation with the EU environmental standards?