Fundamentals First - Upholding the rule of law and human rights protection as fundamental preconditions

The argument better EU-developed projects than Chinese does not hold, as the only stakeholder obliged and entitled to provide guarantees and the fulfillment of legal obligations is the Serbian state, and the state may not make the difference, depending on the country of the investing company. [...] The German Environment Agency emphasized that “if raw materials are mined to a large extent in countries with weak environmental governance, it is more likely that the Environmental Hazard Potentials are not properly managed and the likelihood for the occurrence of environmental impacts is higher.”1 The weakness of environmental governance in Serbia is evident both on the level of the transpositio. [...] The scoping request did not cover the water supply system, which is an integral part of the project; the lack of a complete and finalized spatial planning framework – the Ministry of Construction launched the procedure for amendments of the spatial planning framework, and the strategic environmental impact assessment and scoping request were not to be submitted before the planning framework was co. [...] The Ministry of Mining and Energy has not stopped the procedure for issuing the permit for lithium exploitation, but over the course of two years, without giving justified reasons, has extended the deadline for the company to complete the documentation 18 times. [...] Conclusions and recommendations The state of democracy and the rule of law in Serbia result in a lack of trust between the government and citizens and the absence of a mutual understanding about fundamental developmental priorities.