A Serbian environmental group has announced plans to file a lawsuit against the European Commission at the Court of Justice of the European Union regarding the Jadar lithium project.
The movement Mars sa Drine (Get off the Drina) stated on Tuesday that it will pursue legal action alongside several European organizations, challenging the EU's stance on the controversial mining operation.
The legal move introduces fresh regulatory risk for Rio Tinto, which has faced sustained opposition from local communities and environmental activists over the proposed mine in western Serbia.
The project, intended to be one of Europe's largest lithium sources, has been stalled for years due to public protests and political uncertainty in Belgrade.
This development complicates the European Commission's broader strategy to secure domestic supplies of critical raw materials for the clean energy transition.
A leaked EU action plan previously outlined ambitious measures to accelerate industrial electrification and reduce dependence on external suppliers, with lithium identified as a key bottleneck.