Business and human rights at the margins: a case of bottom-up campaign against Rio Tinto’s Jadar lithium project in Serbia

ABSTRACT

Rio Tinto, a significant global extractive industry corporation, has been for almost two decades exploring large lithium reserves, purchasing land in Jadar Valley southwest of Belgrade in Serbia, and attempting to start extraction. In 2017, the Serbian government granted Rio Tinto a license to start extraction despite fierce opposition from civil society. This article critically analyses the successful social movement campaign against Rio Tinto’s lithium project in Jadar Valley as an example of a bottom-up approach to business and human rights. It discusses and critically analyses the social movement against the current state of affairs in the areas of business and human rights in Serbia. It finds that a successful campaign against the Jadar project was possible due to the broad coalition of civil society and political actors. It remains to be determined if such a social movement against Rio Tinto was a one-time event or if it propelled a more systemic approach to business and human rights in Serbia and beyond.

KEYWORDS:

• Business and human rights
• social movements
• Rio Tinto
• Serbia
• bottom-up approach
• corporate accountability

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Professor Tatjana Papić for hosting me during my research stay at the Union University School of Law in Belgrade, Serbia, in September 2022. This article was prepared within research projects co-financed by the Slovenian Research Agency: ‘A Holistic Approach to Business and Human Rights: a normative reform of Slovenian and international legal order’ (no. JP-1790), and ‘Corporate accountability, human rights and climate change: Towards coherent and just domestic and international legal order’ (no. JP-50171).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 European Parliament, ‘Deal confirms zero-emissions target for new cars and vans in 2035’ (European Parliament, 27 October 2022) <www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20221024IPR45734/deal-confirms-zero-emissions-target-for-new-cars-and-vans-in-2035> accessed 28 March 2023.

2 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2023, 109 <https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2023/mcs2023.pdf> accessed 28 March 2023.

3 Saša Dragoljo, Ivica Mladenović, ‘Serbia’s lithium is Rio Tinto’s perfect project’, Le Monde Diplomatique (November 2022) <https://mondediplo.com/2022/11/10serbia> accessed 28 March 2023.

4 See, for instance, European Commission, Commission Staff Working Document, Serbia 2022 Report, 12 October 2022, SWD (2022) 338 final.

5 EU-Western Balkans Summit, Brdo Declaration, 6 October 2021 <www.consilium.europa.eu/media/52280/brdo-declaration-6-october-2021-en.pdf> accessed 28 March 2023.

6 EU-Western Balkans Summit Tirana Declaration, 6 December 2022 <www.consilium.europa.eu/media/60568/tirana-declaration-en.pdf> accessed 28 March 2023.

7 European Commission, Corporate sustainability due diligence (commission.europa.eu, 23 February 2022) <https://commission.europa.eu/business-economy-euro/doing-business-eu/corporate-sustainability-due-diligence_en> accessed 28 March 2023.

8 Mining Data Online, ‘Jadar Project’ <https://miningdataonline.com/property/1395/Jadar-Project.aspx> accessed 28 March 2023.

9 Nataša Anđelković, ‘Jadarit, Rio Tinto i životna sredina: Šta treba da znate o nalazištu litijuma u Srbiji’, BBC News na srpskom (20 January 2021).

10 Agence France-Presse, ‘Rio Tinto lithium mine: thousands of protesters block roads across Serbia’ (5 December 2021) <www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/05/rio-tinto-lithium-mine-thousands-of-protesters-block-roads-across-serbia> accessed 28 March 2023.

11 Insajder.net, ‘Projekat Jadar – Kompanija Rio Tinto nastavlja ulaganje u rudnik litijuma kod Loznice’ (insajder.net, 24 July 2017) <https://insajder.net/arhiva/vesti/projekat-jadar-kompanija-rio-tinto-nastavlja-ulaganje-u-rudnik-litijuma-kod-loznice> accessed 28 March 2023.

12 Mojaloznica.com, ‘Rio Tinto 2023. otvara rudnik litijuma kod Loznice’ (mojaloznica.com, 27 July 2017) <www.mojaloznica.com/vesti/ekonomija/rio-tinto-2023-otvara-rudnik-litijuma-kod-loznice/> accessed 28 March 2023.

13 Reuters, ‘Green activists stage tent protest to halt lithium exploration in Serbia’ (reuters.com, 11 February 2022) <www.reuters.com/business/environment/green-activists-stage-tent-protest-halt-lithium-exploration-serbia-2022-02-11> accessed 28 March 2023.

14 European Western Balkans, ‘Environmental protests and roadblocks across Serbia, masked men attack citizens’ (eurpoeanwesternbalkans.com, 28 November 2021) <https://europeanwesternbalkans.com/2021/11/28/environmental-protests-and-roadblocks-across-serbia-masked-men-attack-citizens/> accessed 28 March 2023.

15 Deutsche Welle, ‘Serbia: Protesters block roads over new mining laws’ (dw.com, 27 November 2021) <www.dw.com/en/serbia-protesters-block-roads-over-new-mining-laws/a-59958118/> accessed 28 March 2023.

16 Agence France-Presse (n 10).

17 N1.rs, ‘Vučić za donošenje izmena Zakona o eksproprijaciji’ (n1info.rsm 4 December 2021) <https://n1info.rs/vesti/vucic-za-donosenje-izmena-zakona-o-eksproprijaciji/> accessed 28 March 2023.

18 N1.rs, ‘Brnabić: Poništene dozvole, odluke, rešenja - stavili smo tačku na Rio Tinto’ (1info.rsm, 20 January 2022) <https://n1info.rs/vesti/brnabic-ukinuta-uredba-o-prostornom-planu-za-projekat-jadar/> accessed 28 March 2023.

19 The Danish Institute for Human Rights, ‘Human Rights and Business Country Guide to Serbia’ Project (2017) <https://globalnaps.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/business-and-human-rights-guide-to-serbia-english.pdf> accessed 28 March 2023.

20 OECD (2023), OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct, OECD Publishing, Paris.

21 UN Human Rights Council, Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, Serbia, A/HRC/38/17, 18 April 2018, 114.37 (Recommendation by Palestine) 17.

22 Republic of Serbia, Law on Accounting, Official Gazette of Republic of Serbia No. 73/2019 and 44/2021.

23 A remark by representative of government at the OSCE Conference on Human Rights Due Diligence: Taking action against human trafficking and labour exploitation in supply chains, country conference, Belgrade, Serbia, 22 March 2023.

24 Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, Responsible Business Hub, <https://responsiblebusinesshub.pks.rs/en/what-is-rbh/> accessed 28 March 2023.

25 Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains, Bundesgesetzblatt Jahrgang 2021, Nr. 46, 22 July 2021, 2959.

26 See, for instance, 3rd UN Regional Forum on Business and Human Rights in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, 10–11 November 2023 <www.ohchr.org/en/events/forums/2022/3rd-un-regional-forum-business-and-human-rights-eastern-europe-and-central-asia> accessed 28 March 2023.

27 Upendra Baxi, ‘Human Rights Responsibility of Multinational Corporations, Political Ecology of Injustice: Learning from Bhopal Thirty Plus?’ (2016) 1 Business and Human Rights Journal 21–40.

28 Surya Deva, ‘Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence Laws in Europe: A Mirage for Rightsholders?’ (2023) 36 (2) Leiden Journal of International Law 389, 390–391.

29 Alwyn Lim, ‘Social Movements and Corporate Social Responsibility: From Contention to Engagement’, in Abagail McWilliams and others (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Corporate Social Responsibility: Psychological and Organizational Perspectives (Oxford Handbooks, online ed, Oxford Academic, 6 November 2019) <https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198802280.013.26> accessed 28 March 2023.

30 See, for instance, Raluca Grosescu ‘Transnational Advocacy Networks and Corporate Accountability for Gross Human Rights Violations in Argentina and Colombia’ (2019) 33(3) Global Society 400–418.

31 Nova.rs, ‘Oslobođenje: Nastaviti sa protestima, Vučiću se ne može verovati’ (nova.rs, 9 December 2021) <https://nova.rs/vesti/politika/oslobodjenje-nastaviti-sa-protestima-vucicu-se-ne-moze-verovati/> accessed 28 March 2023. There was also opposition to protest, mostly from politicians not connected with the current government and known figures from the Serbian public; N1.rs, ‘Vladimir Đukanović: Hoću protest zato što vi ometate da dođe Rio Tinto’, 3 December 2021 <https://n1info.rs/vesti/vladimir-djukanovic-hocu-protest-zato-sto-vi-ometate-da-dodje-rio-tinto/> accessed 28 March 2023; Strahinja Nikolić, ‘Novak podržao proteste u Srbiji’, Nova.rs, 4 December 2021 <https://nova.rs/sport/tenis/novak-djokovic-protesti-srbija/> accessed 28 March 2023; Slavica Panić, ‘Emir Kusturica za Nova.rs: Ideja zaustavljanja Rio Tinta sigurno dobra’, Nova.rs, 6 December 2021 <https://nova.rs/kultura/emir-kusturica-za-nova-rs-ideja-zaustavljanja-rio-tinta-sigurno-dobra/> accessed 28 March 2023.

32 Jelena Petrović, ‘Skupština grada Loznice ukinula prostorni plan za izgradnju rudnika litijuma’ (n1info.rs, 16 December 2021) <https://n1info.rs/vesti/skupstina-loznice-prostorni-plan-ukidanje/> accessed 28 March 2023.

33 RFE/RL's Balkan Service, ‘Serbian Lawmakers Pass Law Removing Turnout Threshold in Referendums’ (rferl.org, 26 November 2023) <www.rferl.org/a/serbia-referendum-law-/31579860.html#:~:text=Serbian%20officials%20have%20previously%20said,for%20a%20referendum%20to%20pass> accessed 28 March 2023.

34 Commentary of the Representative of the Serbian Government, Human Rights Due Diligence: Taking action against human trafficking and labour exploitation in supply chains, Country conference, 22 March 2023, Belgrade, Serbia.

35 Sasa Dragojlo, ‘Rio Tinto Spends Million Euros on Serbian Land since Mine Cancellation’ (balkaninsight.com, 23 February 2023) <https://balkaninsight.com/2023/02/23/rio-tinto-spends-million-euros-on-serbian-land-since-mine-cancellation/> accessed 28 March 2023.

36 Reuters, ‘Sonali Paul Rio Tinto keen for talks to revive Serbian lithium project’ (reuters.com, 5 May 2022) <www.reuters.com/business/rio-tinto-keen-restart-talks-stalled-serbian-lithium-project-2022-05-05/> accessed 28 March 2023.

37 Rio Tinto, ‘Jadar Project Update’ <www.riotinto.com/en/operations/projects/jadar> accessed 28 March 2023.

38 ibid.

39 Reuters, ‘Serbian PM sees no chance for reviving Rio Tinto lithium project’ (reuters.com, 13 December 2022) <www.reuters.com/world/europe/serbian-pm-sees-no-chance-reviving-rio-tinto-lithium-project-2022-12-13/> accessed 28 March 2023.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jernej Letnar Černič

Jernej Letnar Černič is an Expert in Human Rights Law, Business and Human Rights, and the Rule of Law. Jernej is a Full Professor of Human Rights and Constitutional Law at the New University (Ljubljana/Kranj, Slovenia). He is also a Visiting Professor of Law at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder) in Germany and the Riga Graduate School of Law in Latvia. His studies have been cited in the reports of the United Nations, the European Parliament, and the Council of Europe in decisions of the Slovenian Constitutional Court and in academic studies from all parts of the world. He has been active in various Slovenian and global civil society roles, participating in numerous domestic and international humanitarian projects.