Objection Deadline Expires for Zajecar Mine Plan

The deadline for filing objections to the spatial plan for a new mine near Zajecar expired on August 3. On the final day of early public review of the Spatial Plan for the Special Purpose Area of the Cukaru Peki and Malka Golaja mining and metallurgical complex, residents of Zajecar and Belgrade gathered outside the Serbian Agency for Spatial Planning and Urbanization and handed in their objections there.

The same day, Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic weighed in, saying opposition politicians and media were running a campaign around the plan, and that the document in question is not a decision to relocate residents, expropriate land or open a mine.

What the Plan Covers

The plan covers about 126 square kilometers across the territories of the cities of Bor and Zajecar. It envisions three components: the Cukaru Peki underground mine at the lower ore body, the new Malka Golaja copper and gold mine near Zajecar, and a new smelter in Bor, linked by infrastructure corridors.

In area, that is larger than the territory of many Serbian municipalities, and that scale is exactly what has driven the gatherings in the Timok region.

Who Submitted Objections

By July 25, around 300 written objections had been collected, along with about 2,000 signatures on a petition in Zajecar. The campaign is led by:

• the associations Eko Istok and the Center for Biosphere Protection Balkan
• the youth and student initiative Zajecarci u blokadi (Zajecar in Blockade)
• the informal groups Timocka buna (Timok Rebellion) and Timocki bozur (Timok Peony)
• the informal association Glas prosvete Zajecar (Voice of Education Zajecar)

They rally under the shared slogan, translated roughly as “Zajecar against the mine, this is where I live and I do not want to move!” Organizers say the petition drive continues across eastern Serbia and that they plan to visit villages directly affected by the plan.

Activist Jelena Anasonovic Kuc said the study behind the spatial plan was published just a month after the decision to draft it, and listed what she considers problematic in the document.

“The first thing we noticed was a denial of biodiversity: our team of experts found 117 protected species in the Malka Golaja area, with around 300 species across the wider area. We filed a request with the Institute for Nature Conservation to have the area protected. What is also critical for us is the approach to water: there are plans to dam the Crni Timok river and build a lake near Bogovina that would submerge the water source supplying Bor with drinking water.”

She also warned about the impact on the surroundings of the imperial palace Felix Romuliana, on 35 deep drinking water wells in Zajecar, and on the capacity of the new smelter, which she said could reach 400,000 tons with room for further expansion.

What the Minister Says in Response

Djedovic Handanovic said approval for geological exploration is not approval to open a mine, and that a years-long procedure separates exploration from any eventual extraction. As evidence, she pointed out that only one new metal mine has opened in Serbia in the past 23 years, Cukaru Peki itself, while the country currently operates around 40 mines.

She also denied a claim she said has been repeated in recent weeks:

“Above all, it is not true that the mines Veliki Krivelj, Jama and Majdanpek opened after the Zijin company arrived in Serbia.”

To residents’ objections, the minister replied that a legal framework exists for exactly that purpose.

“That is precisely why the early public review, which is currently underway, exists in the first place.”

The economic part of her argument rests on three figures: mining around Bor employs about 7,000 people, the state has collected 1.7 billion dollars in taxes and other levies from it, and the average salary at Serbia Zijin Copper is around 164,000 dinars, well above the national average.

Why the Two Sides Talk Past Each Other

The dispute is really about two different things. The ministry is talking about the document and what it legally is, while residents are talking about what actually gets built on the ground if the document is adopted. The spatial plan does not take anyone’s house away, but it is the first step without which neither a permit nor expropriation can follow later, which makes the debate around it the only moment when the local community has a formal say.

The figure that best illustrates the scale is a production one: before the Chinese company arrived, Bor’s copper capacity was about 40,000 tons, and the new smelter is designed for ten times that amount.

What Happens Next

Early public review is not the last step in this process. It will be followed by a public review of the draft plan and a public debate, and only then will it be clear how many of the submitted objections made it into the document. The date for that next step has not yet been announced, and whether the 300 objections changed anything in the plan for Bor and Zajecar will only be known once the draft goes up for review.