Mining & Real Estate in the Balkans: Is Corrosive Capital Western now?

There are growing tensions around mining, environmental justice, and large-scale investment projects in the Western Balkans. As the region becomes increasingly important for Europe’s green transition and real estate development, local communities are raising concerns about environmental degradation, opaque decision-making, and the weakening of democratic safeguards.The episode explores cases ranging from Rio Tinto’s lithium project in Serbia and the Vareš mining project in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to Belgrade Waterfront and Velika Plaža in Montenegro, asking how these projects reshape local governance and public trust — and whether corrosive forms of capital are no longer associated only with non-Western actors.The discussion features Vedran Džihić (Senior Researcher at OIIP and BiEPAG member), Barbara Frey (MSCA PF Fellow at the University of Rijeka), and Iliriana Gjoni (Research Analyst at Carnegie Europe), and is moderated by Tena Prelec (Assistant Professor at the University of Rijeka and BiEPAG member).Referenced reports:Džihić, V. and Kmezić, M., "Mining in the Western Balkans: How to counter authoritarian extractivism?", BiEPAG, March 2026. https://www.biepag.eu/publication/mining-in-the-western-balkans-how-to-counter-authoritarian-extractivismGjoni, I. et al. "Rules or Deals? The EU’s Challenge in Regulating Corrosive Capital in the Western Balkans", Carnegie Europe, December 2025. https://carnegieendowment.org/russia-eurasia/research/2025/12/rules-or-deals-the-eus-challenge-in-regulating-corrosive-capital-in-the-western-balkansPrelec, T. et al., “Foreign Influence Challenges: Corrosive Capital and Disinformation in the Western Balkans and Associated Trio”, GEO-POWER-EU, November 2025. https://geo-power.eu/portfolio/item/d3-3-i-foreign-influence-challenges-corrosive-capital-and-disinformation-in-the-western-balkans-and-associated-trio/Bassuener, K. et al., “The Vareš Mining Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Case Study of Corrosive Capital in an Already Corroded Political Economy”, GEO-POWER-EU, April 2026. https://geo-power.eu/news/d3-3-i-the-vares-mining-project-in-bosnia-and-herzegovina-a-case-study-of-corrosive-capital-in-an-already-corroded-political-economy/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.