Solidarity civic movement: stop Zijin before eastern Serbia disappears

On 30 July 2026, the Solidarity civic movement from Novi Sad issued a statement demanding an immediate halt to all works by the Chinese company Zijin, the annulment of unlawfully issued permits, and accountability for the responsible authorities. What is at stake, they say, is the Crni Timok, Malka Golaja and eastern Serbia.

The statement gives their own estimate that the Čukaru Peki mine yields the company around €1.1 billion in annual net profit, while by their calculation Serbia receives €97 million and the workers €37 million. Those figures are theirs and we have not verified them independently. They also point to illegal logging, the diversion of watercourses without permits, and the proximity of UNESCO-protected Gamzigrad.

What matters to us here is something else: the expansion of mining in the Timok region has stopped being a concern for Zaječar alone. The petition against the uncontrolled spread of mining activity was already being signed in Knjaževac and Belgrade.