Brnabic: We need public debate on lithium, there will be no privatisation of EPS

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Ana Brnabic said on Tuesday there were no plans to continue a Rio Tinto lithium mining project in Serbia, but added that there were regrets over that.

"We need a broad public debate with a pragmatic approach to the issue. It is up to us to decide what to do about the fate of our country. If we are going to give up on our 'oil' that is Serbia's greatest-ever development chance - OK," Brnabic told reporters.

She explained that the project had been halted to reduce political pressure on Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and the ruling Serbian Progressive party ahead of the April elections.

"I have not changed my mind since the moment I put a full stop on Rio Tinto, but the citizens need to decide through a public debate whether it will be a full stop or a comma," Brnabic said, adding that an announced Inovat investment in Serbia had nothing to do with lithium mining.

"That is completely obvious as they have announced an investment without any indication that we will be using the wealth of our lithium resources. What Inovat will be doing will bring huge added value, because they are practically net exporters. I hope we will have more such investments, but there would be more of them if we were mining lithium."

She dismissed speculations that the arrival of Inovat was heralding a privatisation of Serbia's national electric power company EPS.

"EPS must be transformed and be a company that will ensure energy security to Serbia. There is no privatisation of EPS, it would be pointless to privatise such a national company, that is a security issue for Serbia," she noted.