Blog
EU Court challenge puts Portugal’s Barroso lithium project in the spotlight
Residents’ group Associação Unidos em Defesa de Covas do Barroso and ClientEarth have asked the European Court of Justice to review the European Commission’s decision to…
Environmental and community groups sue EU over “strategic” lithium mine designation in Portugal
Associação Unidos em Defesa de Covas do Barroso (UDCB) and ClientEarth have filed a case at the European Court of Justice challenging the European Commission’s decision…
Congo’s Cobalt Clampdown Lays Bare China’s Fragile Grip on Critical Minerals
China’s commanding position in the global critical minerals market—particularly in battery metals—has long appeared unassailable. In 2024, the country accounted for roughly 78 per cent of…
Europe’s Rare Earth Magnet Challenge: NdFeB Supply Chains, China Dependence and the Rise of Nearshoring
Europe’s electrification ambitions increasingly depend on a critical yet largely invisible component: neodymium–iron–boron (NdFeB) magnets. These high-performance magnets are essential to electric vehicles, wind turbines and…
Serbia’s corporate sector enters 2026 flush with liquidity, but investment stays on hold
Serbia’s corporate balance sheets look positioned for expansion—credit growth continues and leverage is moderate—but the investment cycle has not restarted. Instead, companies are borrowing mainly for…
Serbia banks look low-risk as credit grows—investors watch the shift toward households
Serbia’s banking system has maintained low non-performing loans and steady lending through higher interest rates, with dinarisation continuing to reduce currency risk. But the credit expansion…
Serbia’s bond market enters a tougher pricing era as investors demand more selectivity
A weaker-than-expected March 2026 domestic bond auction signals that Serbia’s funding is still available, but increasingly conditional on price and investor risk appetite. With debt split…
Serbia’s industrial push shifts from broad incentives to fiscal discipline as projects grow costlier
Serbia’s decade-long industrial expansion has relied heavily on state incentives and infrastructure support, but the economics of subsidies are changing as investment becomes more capital-intensive. The…
Serbia’s industrial push runs into an energy bottleneck as costs and reliability become decisive
Serbia’s manufacturing expansion is increasingly constrained by energy reliability, shifting electricity and gas pricing, and the limits of a power system still dominated by lignite. As…
Energy imports as Serbia’s balance-sheet risk: why oil and gas move more than trade
Serbia’s trade deficit and industrial cost structure are heavily influenced by energy imports, especially oil and natural gas, whose prices can swing the country’s import bill…