Serbian Parliament Doesn't Pass Lithium Ban, Keeps Rio Tinto's Major Project Alive

The Serbian parliament didn't accept the opposition's proposal to modify the country's mining law to ban the exploration and exploitation of lithium and boron. Such a decision would have ended Rio Tinto's (NYSE:RIO) multi-billion dollar Jadar project. After a four-day discussion, the 214 members voted as follows: 84 voted yes, 128 voted no, two didn't vote. "Forbidding exploration and exploitation of lithium and other mineral goods would create ripple effects, not only in Serbian economy but in its geopolitical positioning, "said Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Dedovic Handanovic, per Slobodna Evropa's report. The Jadar deposit, discovered in 2004, is one of the ...