Residents of Lopare, Bijeljina, Tuzla, along with environmental activists and organizations, strongly oppose the opening of a lithium mine on Mount Majevica. The City Council of Tuzla has recently discussed the harmful effects of this project on the city, while Bijeljina is preparing for a major protest rally on Sunday, similar to the one already held in Lopare.
The environmental association Eko-put from Bijeljina, the citizens’ association Guardians of Majevica from Lopare, the mayor and city administration of Bijeljina, and the head and municipal administration of Lopare have called on residents of the municipalities of Semberija, Posavina, Majevica, and the wider region to attend a public rally that will be held in Bijeljina, at King Peter I Karađorđević Square, on April 6 at 6 p.m.
“Due to the submission of a request for the granting of a concession to open a mine in Lopare on February 14, 2025, to the Ministry of Energy and Mining, and the public offering that amounts to a sellout of our land, water, and air — news we only learn about through the media — we once again want to publicly state our united stance: we do not want a lithium mine or the extraction of other critical mineral resources on Majevica,” the announcement says.
The Harmfulness of the Project
The main reasons for opposition are that the potential mine site is located in close proximity to populated areas. The rivers Gnjica and Janja flow through the area under exploration and are part of the Sava and Drina river basins. Any potential pollution of these waterways caused by mining activities would pose a serious and unforeseeable threat to nature, the environment, public health, and downstream biodiversity.
The technology required for lithium extraction — particularly the use of sulfuric acid — carries significant risks to public health, nature, and the environment.
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A Nature Park
Majevica should be placed on the list of protected areas to obtain the status of a nature park.
“Through a civic initiative, we requested that a decision be made to impose a moratorium on the granting of concessions for geological exploration and for the exploitation of mineral resources, ores, and other materials in the area of Mount Majevica, until the process of declaring it a protected area in accordance with the Nature Protection Act of Republika Srpska is completed, and until the adoption of the Concession Policy Document in accordance with the Concessions Act of RS,” said Snežana Jagodić Vujić, president of the Eko-put association, for the Energy Portal.
She added that they supplemented the documentation last week at the request of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska (NSRS), and that they expect this issue to soon be placed on the agenda.
The authorities in Tuzla have expressed concern over the concession process for a lithium mine on Majevica, which, as they stated, is in the final phase of contract signing with the company Arcore AG, as well as over the agreement signed between Republika Srpska and Hungary regarding the mining of rare metals on March 3, 2025.
The City Council demands an urgent review of the potential environmental impacts of these projects on the City of Tuzla and the wider region, and is calling on the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina to urgently initiate an environmental impact assessment procedure, including analysis of potential underground and surface water pollution.
“Tuzla is just two kilometers away from the area in question, and some standards for such projects require a minimum distance of 40 kilometers from populated areas. In Europe, there is not a single active lithium mine located near a populated area. Majevica does not only concern Tuzla, Bijeljina, and Lopare — it concerns everyone, because all water sources would be at risk,” said Mirnes Ajanović, a city councilor in Tuzla, who, together with Omer Berbić, initiated the discussion of the agenda item titled Environmental Threat from Majevica: The City of Tuzla Demands Urgent Measures to Protect the Environment and Citizens from Lithium Exploitation.
Jasna Dragojević
