European Green Party Activists Request Insight into Zijin Contract

Coal mine (Shutterstock)

Activists of the European Green Party submitted a request to the Serbian government on July 27, on the basis of the Law on free access to information that is relevant to the public, for insight into the contract with the Chinese company Zijin regarding the exploitation of the Majdanpek mine.

"On the basis of the Law on free access to information that is relevant to the public, we request the government to allow us insight into the contract with the Zijin company, because that contract, at least its part that we have about strategic partnership, is only visible in segments," said the representative of the European Green Party, Snezana Nedeljkovic. She stressed that, in view of the fact that the information pertained to the health of the people and environment protection, the government could not refuse the request.

She added that a paragraph in the contract with Zijin about strategic partnership, in the part about environment protection, read that the company possessed all the necessary environmental permits and that it would not be required to obtain any new permits in the future.

On July 1, the activists submitted requests to the Republic's construction and environment protection inspectorates, for establishing whether the activities of the Chinese company Zijin on Mount Starica near Majdanpek were legal, but never received a response. They have stated that they submitted a report to the European Parliament after that, about the situation regarding the operation of the Majdanpek mine and environment protection.