State Secretary for Economic Affairs Franziska Brantner has described the planned agreement between the EU and Serbia on the supply of raw materials as an important contribution to greater independence from China.

"The memorandum of understanding with Serbia is a relevant step in the attempt to use European deposits in a European way and also to make European industry less dependent on China," the Green politician told the Reuters news agency on Thursday. "The lithium deposit in Serbia can make a contribution to this." There are also other deposits in Germany or the Czech Republic that should be used. "This would also reduce our dependence on China," said Brantner.

She praised the fact that the raw materials company Rio Tinto had made improvements to the environmental planning for a lithium mine in Serbia. "Raw material extraction is never without consequences for nature. But Rio Tinto has made improvements here under pressure from civil society, which is a good thing," she said in response to the protests by Serbian environmentalists. Mining must have the least possible impact on nature and be carried out in such a way that renaturation is possible. "In this way, we can also show the world that raw material extraction is more environmentally friendly and that our European companies are making a difference." Of course, recycling must be promoted at the same time in order to keep extraction to a minimum. The Serbian government reissued Rio Tinto's license for lithium mining, which had been temporarily revoked in 2022.

Two memoranda of understanding are to be signed in Belgrade on Friday. One concerns a raw materials agreement between the EU and the EU accession candidate. Secondly, Serbia wants to sign a declaration of intent with car companies such as Mercedes and Stellantis to establish a lithium-processing industrial sector. Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Brantner will also be there.

The State Secretary for Economic Affairs emphasized that there is a global ramp-up of e-mobility. "The repeated debate about fossil combustion engines is unsettling citizens and companies, which is harmful," said Brantner. "That's why lithium in Serbia remains interesting. But the companies decide where they buy their raw materials."

(Report by Andreas Rinke, Ilona Wissenbach; edited by Hans Busemann. If you have any queries, please contact our editorial team at berlin.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for politics and the economy) or frankfurt.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for companies and markets).)