Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has arrived in Freiberg together with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. The focus of the visit is environmentally friendly lithium mining. Scholz and Vucic were welcomed by a guard of honor from the traditional Freiberg people.
After bilateral talks, the Federal Chancellor and the Serbian President will visit the city and mining museum. An expert discussion on sustainable lithium extraction is then planned, during which public participation and opportunities for bilateral cooperation in the mining sector will be discussed. Zinnwald Lithium GmbH will also present its planned mining project in the Ore Mountains.
At the end of August, Scholz had already visited Freiberg to find out about the project near Altenberg. It is intended to meet the demand for battery-grade lithium hydroxide for one million batteries for average-sized electric cars every year.
The EU agreed a lithium deal with Serbia in July. Together with EU Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic, Scholz signed a declaration of intent in Belgrade to enable environmentally friendly extraction of the light metal in the Jadar Valley. Europe's largest lithium deposit is located there. However, there is considerable opposition to the project from environmentalists in Serbia.
