A protest against planned lithium mining in Serbia is scheduled outside the Futurium building in Berlin. The demonstration is set to coincide with the congress of the German Association of Industrialists. The congress theme is “Environmentally Friendly Industrial Development.”
Organisers include activists from Serbia and other former Yugoslav countries, along with German supporters. They plan to draw attention to what they describe as contradictions in statements by German industrial leaders. The group says it supports sustainable production practices at home while opposing lithium extraction abroad, particularly in Serbia.
Planned lithium mining and companies named by protesters
According to excerpts from a proclamation planned for the event, the protest is directed against environmental impacts in Serbia if Rio Tinto, working with the Serbian government, proceeds with planned lithium mining. The statement says the project would affect the environment and also livelihoods of farmers. It further cites risks to water supply for regions including Belgrade.
The proclamation also says that local resistance exists among communities and that opposition extends across much of the Serbian population. It describes an agricultural area as being at risk of becoming a lithium mining zone. Organisers link the proposed extraction to demand for lithium batteries from Western industries, including the German automotive sector.
Messages to German authorities and references to Serbian governance
The proclamation characterises the Serbian government’s approach as prioritising profits for German companies under what it calls “green industrial policy.” It also frames the situation as cooperation between German and European industrial interests and Serbia’s leadership. The statement names Serbian President Alexander Vucic.
In its excerpts, the proclamation says this cooperation reflects an alliance between a federal government that claims to champion environmental protection and an authoritarian regime that responds to dissent with repression. The text includes slogans calling for Rio Tinto to be opposed and for profit-driven activity to be rejected. It also includes a call supporting environmental protection.