A new episode of the Seriously Balkans podcast series explores mining, environmental justice, and large-scale investment projects in the Western Balkans, with a focus on how green transition policies are reshaping governance and public trust across the region.
The episode features two CSMK members: Dr Barbara Frey, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow, and Dr Tena Prelec, Assistant Professor at the University of Rijeka and moderator of the discussion.
The conversation covers cases including Rio Tinto’s lithium project in Serbia, the Vareš mining project in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgrade Waterfront, and Velika Plaža in Montenegro, examining tensions around environmental degradation, democratic accountability, and “corrosive capital”.
Alongside Barbara Frey, the episode features Vedran Džihić (OIIP/BiEPAG) and Iliriana Gjoni (Carnegie Europe).
Barbara Frey discussed the political economy of the green transition and environmental justice in the Western Balkans as part of her MSCA PF project ENVIJUST-WB (“Green Transition and Environmental Justice in the European Periphery: Asymmetries and Contestation in the Western Balkans”).
Listen here:
Seriously Balkans – Episode 24 on Spotify