[EU and Serbia Will Sign a Supply Agreement for Battery Materials] On July 17, the German government disclosed that the European Union and Serbia will sign an important agreement on the supply of battery materials. The agreement was reached against the backdrop of Serbia's agreement to resume lithium mining projects, which are crucial for the production of electric vehicle batteries. On Friday of this week, the two sides will sign a memorandum of understanding on "sustainable raw materials, battery supply chain, and strategic partnership for electric vehicles" at the "Critical Raw Materials Summit" held in Serbia. The lithium mining project, operated by Rio Tinto near Loznica in western Serbia, is located in one of the regions with the richest lithium reserves in Europe, with an estimated annual production of 58,000 tons, which can meet the demand of about 1.1 million electric vehicles. Although the project has caused controversy, last week's ruling by the Serbian Constitutional Court cleared the way for its restart.