Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said there should be more public discussion about the future of Rio Tinto’s proposed $2.4 billion Jadar lithium project.

Belgrade revoked licences for the project in Western Serbia in January 2022 after massive environmental protests. If completed, the project could supply 90 percent of Europe's current lithium needs and help to make the company a leading lithium producer.

Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Vucic said he had "a difficult conversation" with representatives of Rio Tinto, Reuters reported.

"We are facing the question of whether the company will file a lawsuit against us or not," Vucic told Serbian reporters. "I asked them not to take measures to protect their interests."

In 2021 and 2022 Serbian environmentalists collected 30,000 signatures in a petition demanding that parliament enact legislation to halt lithium exploration in the country.

Green activists have repeatedly warned that the mining projects will cause more pollution in Serbia, already one of Europe's most polluted countries.

Vucic said he had sought Rio's assurances about environmental standards and said that the next government - expected to be formed by May following December elections - should address the issue.

"(Rio) must offer the cleanest solutions, which could be satisfactory to our people, the highest standards in the world for the nature and the people who will work there," he said.

In an emailed response to Reuters, a Rio Tinto spokesman said: "We continue to believe the Jadar project ... could act as a catalyst for the development of other industries and tens of thousands of jobs for current and future generations in Serbia."