Conference "Someone Else is Mining" Held

On Saturday, July 22, 2023, the Zaječar Initiative organized a conference on ecological issues in Eastern Serbia titled "Someone Else is Mining" at the Hamburg Hotel in Zaječar.

The conference was dedicated to the harmful effects of ore exploitation on land and water, which had until recently been mostly limited to the municipalities of Bor and Majdanpek. However, with the increasing number of approved exploration permits, natural resources in other parts of Eastern Serbia, such as Homolje and Zaječar, have become more threatened than ever, which was the impetus for convening the conference attended by organizations and activists such as Right to Water, the Podrinje Anti-Corruption Team from Loznica, the Fortress Movement from Smederevo, as well as regional organizations like UG Guardians of Homolje, Mlavska Vojska, Borani Ask, NE DAM NU DAU Majdanpek, and Eco East. The conference was opened with lectures by Prof. Dr. Petar Đukić, a full professor at the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy in Belgrade, and Prof. Dr. Velizar Stanković, a retired full professor at the Technical Faculty in Bor.

Through three panel discussions, the speakers focused on:

The justification for the expansion of mining under the current circumstances in Serbia. Do the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, or are citizens, the state, and above all, nature at a loss while foreign companies reap profits?

The impact of opening gold and copper mines on the environment in Eastern Serbia. What key information should the public know?

Potential measures that citizens can take to protect their local communities from harmful consequences.

More than 5,000 square kilometers of Serbian territory are officially classified as mining exploration areas, with the largest portion located in Eastern Serbia. The question has been raised multiple times whether we will allow the natural resources of Eastern Serbia—forests, waters, spas, agricultural, and tourist potential—to become the victims of mining companies amid a gold rush?

Professor Đukić warned of a lack of transparency, outdated technology, and institutions failing to perform their duties: “People have been digging the earth since the dawn of time; mining is 45,000 years old, and it will not disappear tomorrow. We cannot stop polluting, but we can limit pollution to the extent that we can maintain our natural and other resources as functional, and we must have that under control. If you do not control who and how is exploring our mineral wealth and what technologies are being used, future costs and benefits, if you do not have a proper balance and a transparent relationship with local communities—the biggest victims of these mining projects—then it is very bad and unsustainable.”

According to Nikola Krstić, coordinator of the Fortress Movement from Smederevo, the environment is endangered to the extreme.

“This is not just our opinion but also the opinion of experts and the European Parliament, which has passed a resolution on this matter, identifying which cities and areas are at risk. Moreover, this is about a non-transparent process of rampant exploitation of our resources. Primarily mineral wealth, but not only minerals. I come from a city where a Chinese company behaves as if we are a Chinese province rather than Serbs, so this represents a serious complex of problems that contribute to several key ecological issues in Smederevo, Bor, Majdanpek, and Zaječar,” Krstić said.

The conference is part of the project "Someone Else is Mining – The Specter of Mining Over Eastern Serbia," which has received support from the Swiss Government’s program “Together for Active Civil Society – ACT,” implemented by Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation and Civil Initiatives.