Regular autumn session Assembly of Serbia it starts on Monday with the session on whose agenda it is proposal for amendments to the Law on Mining and geological research, which calls for a ban on applied geological research, exploitation and processing of boron and lithium ore.
President of the Assembly Ana Brnabic she said that the bill submitted by the opposition was "so bad and illiterate" that it should not have been on the agenda.
She, in a guest appearance on RTS's Dnevnik, stated that it should have been withdrawn for revision.
"But if we had done that and sent it back for revision, they would have said that we don't want a discussion, to obstruct and so on," Brnabić pointed out.
She emphasized that everything the opposition is asking for and what is presented in the draft law is not material for the law at all.
When asked if during the consultation she got the impression that perhaps some compromise could be reached between the opposition and the government, the President of the Assembly said that she did not get the impression that the opposition wanted any compromise.
Brnabić also pointed out that the ruling coalition will not propose amendments to the proposed law because she believes that it is so bad that it is impossible to fix it with amendments.
"To be honest, I'm not even sure that all the MPs of the opposition have read that draft law, they just signed it." And they should have read it. "Perhaps the more experienced among them would then realize that it should be withdrawn for finishing," said Brnabić.
Negative attitude of the Government
Before the President of the National Assembly did it, previously six Government of Serbia spoke negatively about the proposed changes of the Law on Mining and Geological Research. The government expects to get the opportunity to attend the parliamentary session, the only question is in what capacity, Prime Minister Miloš Vučević said earlier.
"I am ready to participate in the debate." I am in North Macedonia that day, but I am ready to participate. The President of the Assembly must determine whether the Government can participate," said Vucevic.
He stated that, in his opinion, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić should not attend the session scheduled for October 7.
What is written in the bill
The law was signed by 86 representatives of the Ecological Uprising, the group Narodni pokret Srbije-Novo lice Srbije, the group We are the strength of the people - prof. Dr. Brnaimir Nestorović, NADA coalition, MI - Voice of the People, Serbia Center, Democratic Party, Green-Left Front, Freedom and Justice Party, Movement of Free Citizens and independent MPs Ana Oreg, Šaip Kamberi and Ahmendin Škrijelj.
In the proposal, it is stated that approvals for conducting applied geological research of lithium and boron, which are valid on the date of entry into force of the amended law, cannot be extended.
As stated in the explanation, the ore that would be extracted - jadarite, after crushing it would be treated with concentrated sulfuric acid at a temperature of 250 degrees, which is also the most risky part in the process of lithium exploitation from jadarite, because it is necessary to provide a large amount of water and energy .
It is stated that the vapors of aggressive acids that will be used to extract lithium and convert it into lithium carbonate will evaporate into the atmosphere and corrode the green cover, as well as the lungs and skin of people and animals.
The proponents indicate that the range of influence on air pollution can be higher than tens of kilometers, depending on the wind that will blow the dangerous substances.
It is pointed out that there is no information on how waste mine water will be treated before it enters the Jadar river, and that due to the overflowing of the river, polluted water from the Jadar will also flow into fertile fields and scatter poisons on agricultural land.
"The adoption of the proposed amendments to the Law will avoid the consequences of endangering the life of the environment, endangering the health of people and the flora and fauna, which would consequently affect social, economic and demographic issues," states the analysis of the effects of the law.
Adjournment of the discussion
The session was supposed to be held on September 30, during the extraordinary session, but it did not happen, so the President of the Assembly, Ana Branabić, put the law on the agenda of the regular session. The government accused the opposition of "eating up" the time so that the law would not be on the agenda, while the opposition stated that the members of the government spoke at the session three times more than they did.
On Friday, the opposition met with the residents of Gonji Nedeljica, visited the locations where the lithium mine is planned and, according to some deputies, received approval to represent their interests at the session that begins on Monday.
Sources: FoNet/Beta
