Environment Energy Mining Watch SEE|News|Serbia, The latest news about the Government’s report on the appeal to the Berne Convention against the mine in Jadar

Serbia, The latest news about the Government’s report on the appeal to the Berne Convention against the mine in Jadar

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The company Rio Sava Exploration/Rio Tinto is very active and is trying to “revive” the “Jadar” project.

It was known that there were activities related to the project that took place in closed-door meetings, but we did not know that they were also played out in court!

The Ministry of Environmental Protection, and other competent ministries, have sent a mandatory report to the Bureau of the Berne Convention as part of the regular process of the Complaint, which was opened on the initiative submitted on 30.9.2021.

The Ministry’s first annual report was sent to the Bureau on 1/17/2023, and is now available to the public. We recommend everyone to carefully read the reports themselves. Here we convey some of the facts that we consider to be of particular importance for the population in the area of Rio Tinto’s project in Jadar and for all interested citizens.

Some of the new points we learn from the report of the Ministry of Environmental Protection 337-00-00127/2022-04, dated 18.1.2023:

On the Decision of the Administrative Commission of the Government (14 No. 353-9316/2021-003 of 25.1.2022) on the repeal of the Decision of the Ministry of Environmental Protection 353-02-01163/2021-03 of 18.8.2021. to determine the scope and content of the environmental impact assessment study related to the underground exploitation of lithium and boron deposits, ore beneficiation facilities and disposal of tailings resulting from mining activities, Rio Sava Exploration filed an appeal and the case is in the administrative decision-making process at Administrative court.

On the Decision of the Administrative Commission of the Government (14 No. 353-1716/2022-033 of 31.3.2022) on the repeal of the Decision of the Ministry of Environmental Protection 353-02-2102/2021-03 of 8.11.2021. to determine the scope and content of the environmental impact assessment study due to the construction of state road 27 on the Brezjak – Lipnički Shore section, the company Rio Sava Exploration filed a complaint with the Commission and the case is now in the process of administrative decision-making at the Administrative Court.

On the Decision of the Ministry of the Environment no. 353-02-1167/2021 from 14.2.2022 to “suspend” the procedure opened at the request of Rio Sava Exploration d.o.o. to determine the scope and content of the environmental impact assessment study related to the underground exploitation of lithium and boron deposits, ore beneficiation facilities and tailings disposal resulting from mining activities, Rio Sava Exploration filed a complaint with the Administrative Commission of the Government and it is in the process .

On the Decision of the Ministry of Environmental Protection no. 353-02-1931/2021-03 of 21.1.2022. which “suspends” the procedures opened at the request of Rio Sava Exploration d.o.o. to determine the scope and content of the environmental impact assessment study for the construction of state road 27, on the Brezjak – Lipnički Shore section, the company Rio Sava Exploration filed a complaint and it is currently “in progress” at the Administrative Commission of the Government.

The Ministry of Mining and Energy reports (310-02-01722/2022-02 23.11.2022, with an addendum on 30.1.2023) that the procedure was initiated at the request of Rio Tinto Exploration for the issuance of a permit for an exploitation field submitted to the Ministry of Mining and Energy on 6.1.2021, “has not been completed”. Here is part of the report:

“By letter dated 04.05.2022 year, the company Rio Sava Exploration d.o.o. informed the Ministry of Mining and Energy that on April 29, 2022 filed an appeal against the decision of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and in a subsequent letter dated 02.09. 2022 that a lawsuit was filed against the decision of the Administrative Commission of the Government to the Administrative Court on May 13, 2022. In accordance with all the above, the procedure initiated based on the request of the company Rio Sava Exploration d.o.o. from Belgrade, submitted on January 6, 2021, is still not completed.”

These reports from the competent Ministry unequivocally show that the company is more than active on the project, and that it is using legal means. There are ongoing appeals and court procedures against the cancellation of the Decision on the basis of which the project was stopped in January 2022.

This calls even more into question the company’s claims that they are transparent and that they have goodwill above all towards the local community where they are guests. In order to get information of public importance, we needed a request from an international institution, information that was kept silent by the company and competent state authorities for almost a year!

What kind of dialogue and communication is this from the government and the company towards the local communities and citizens of Serbia?

Why didn’t our authorities find it necessary to inform the interested public about this?

Bearing in mind that appeals have been filed against key procedures, is the Decision on the termination of the PPPPN also subject to appeal? Is the Decision still in force?

A lot of questions are asked.

We believe that it is necessary for the public to know all the details and the current status of all appeals and lawsuits filed by the company against the Decisions of the Government’s Administrative Commission.

We hope that the Bureau of the Berne Convention will continue to monitor this worrying development, and that our appeal will succeed in stopping the destruction of flora and fauna in the Jadar Valley that would be caused by the opening of the mine and associated facilities and infrastructure. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them for publishing this important information, writes Earth Trive.

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