Germany’s chancellor praises EU lithium deal with Serbia

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, left, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at the Serbia Palace in Belgrade, Serbia (Darko Vojinovic/AP)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz praised a tentative deal between Serbia and the European Union signed on Friday that paves the way for the disputed excavation of lithium, a huge project that could reduce Europe’s dependency on China but one that has been fiercely criticised by environmentalists.

Mr Scholz attended a “critical raw materials summit” in the Serbian capital where a memorandum of understanding between the EU and Serbia’s government on a “strategic partnership” on sustainable raw materials, battery supply chains and electric vehicles was signed.