THE FATE OF THE LECE MINE IS THE FATE OF THE WHOLE MEDVEDJA

12. November 2019.

Bekgrade, Мedvedja – The greatest natural potential of Medvedja is the Lece mine and in some ways the fate of the mine is the fate of the municipality of Medvedja, said Nebojsa Arsic, the Mayor of the municipality, at the ninth International Conference on Mineral Resources, which was recently held in Belgrade.

He pointed out that research was still being done in the territory of that municipality and that it was evident that mining was a branch of the economy that would continue to be the engine of development of the municipality of Medvedja, along with tourism and all the potentials and benefits provided by Sijarinska Spa.

“God did not spare our small municipality the natural resources. We have Sijarinska Spa with a unique geyser and 18 mineral water springs, then the Lece mine of gold, lead and zinc, as well as marble onyx in Sijarinska Spa, which is a semi-precious stone, among which are opal, chalcedony, agate and amethyst. What has not changed over the last year is that mining has been and remains the main driving force of our economy and the sector that employs the largest number of people in the territory of the municipality of Medvedja,” Mr. Arsic said.

In the municipality of Medvedja, in addition to exploitation in the Lece mine, the exploration field of the mine is covered by the company: "Metalfer Steel Mill Ltd.", while in the area of the village of Tulare the exploration is carried out by "Dunav Minerals", and recently the "Metalfer Group" is conducting geological surveys in the territory of the municipality of Medvedja.

"The investment so far in the Metalfer Group's research is EUR 3 million, while the planned investment is over EUR 25 million," Mr. Arsic said in his address.

Stephen Ndegwa, the representative of the World Bank in Serbia, said that the Serbian mining sector had a huge potential for growth and job creation in our country. According to a World Bank’s survey, Serbia has a strong chance to be a leader and participate in the future of Europe, but the key question is whether Serbia is ready to seize the opportunity, the panel concluded.

This year's conference provided valuable insight into information on mining and geological projects in Serbia and other countries, presenting examples of best practices in the field of sustainable mining, the challenges facing women executives in the mining industry, innovations in mining equipment and technologies, as well as funding opportunities in geology and mining, then the impact of mining on local self-governments, the importance of project financing in the mining sector, and other important topics.

Source: Jugmedia and Coordination Body