China was the country that produced the most electric cars in 2023, and some experts are concerned that the low cost of these vehicles compared to European ones could affect the German economy, which largely depends on the automobile industry.
The German Chancellor Olaf Scholzvisited Belgrade by surprise a few weeks ago to sign major lithium extraction deal with the Serbian president, Aleksander Vucicin an attempt to reduce the EU’s dependence on China.
China was the country that produced the most electric cars in 2023and some experts are concerned that the low cost of these vehicles compared to Europeans could affect the German economy, which depends largely on the automobile industry.
Demonstrations called throughout Serbia
Germany has the ambition to manufacture 15 million electric cars from now to 2030, to fulfill the EU’s climate change promises.
This weekend they are planned protests widespread throughout Serbiawhere more than half of the population rejects mining exploitation plans in the Jadar Valley.
Mass protests against lithium mining paralyzed much of Belgrade and other parts of Serbia in 2021, before plans were withdrawn. open the mine Rio Tinto.
However, the Constitutional Court of Serbia overturned this decision earlier this month, and the Serbian government has now signed the agreement with the EU in July. Rio Tinto It hopes to start extracting lithium in 2028. These plans are not only controversial because of environmental costs, but also because of politics.
Lithium can be found in large quantities in other countriesoutside and inside Europe as in Austria, Czech Republic y Portugalbut the EU wants to keep the dirty work out of its own house.
