Serbia's President A Threat To Europe: Austrian Analyst

In November and December 2021, thousands of Serbian citizens took to the streets, blocking key roads for three weekends to protest a proposed law facilitating expropriation seen as favoring a large-scale lithium mine planned in Western Serbia by the multinational company Rio Tinto, Florian Bieber reported for Foreign Policy.

Photo Insert: Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić

Bieber, the coordinator of the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group and holds the Jean Monnet chair in the Europeanization of Southeastern Europe at the University of Graz in Austria, says Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s authoritarian government is aiding Russian and Chinese propaganda and allowing genocide denialists to celebrate war criminals.

The protesters are primarily concerned about the lack of transparency around the mine project; they also fear serious environmental damage and large-scale corruption.

During the first protests, thugs with sticks beat protesters and tried to drive through the protests in a bulldozer in Sabac, the city closest to the planned mine. They were driven to the location in government cars, and there was little doubt that they were threatening demonstrators on behalf of the regime.

Today, no decision can be taken without Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who features on talk shows for hours on a weekly basis on all main TV channels. He heralded the deal as a major investment and offered it direct political support.

Nevertheless, the demonstrations highlight that while Vucic might have absolute command of the country—188 of the 250 members of parliament were elected on his party list and his party controls nearly every municipality in the country—his rule is not uncontested.

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