Mali: Lithium a huge opportunity, whether we will seize it is up to us

BELGRADE  - Serbian Finance Minister Sinisa Mali said on Wednesday the lithium issue in Serbia was not only about a mine but about an entire "value chain" that included opening a battery factory and an electric vehicle factory, which he noted would bring 10 to 12 bln euros a year.

"That chain would practically bring 16 pct of GDP," Mali said on the RTS morning news programme.

"Whether we will seize the opportunity that we have is up to us," he said, adding that a discussion about the positive and negative sides of lithium mining was being opened and that environmental standards would be the priority.

Mali noted that lithium was a huge development opportunity, possibly the greatest Serbia had, and noted that the metal was now as important as oil had been in the mid-20th century.

"Imagine if Saudi Arabia or the Emirates had not seized that potential whose name was oil, where would they be today," he added.