A delegation of representatives from communities in Jujuy, Catamarca, and Mendoza arrived in Brussels (Belgium) in May to report that the new lithium investments promoted by the European Union in Argentina do not have “social permission.”
Six months earlier – in December 2024 – the governors and officials of these provinces participated in meetings with political authorities, business leaders, and organizations in the same European city. There, they described a local environment friendly to receiving new projects for the exploitation of lithium.
Communities reject new lithium investments without prior consultation
“We come to say that it is not as our governors told it in these spaces. If more investments come, for us everything ends. We come to tell the European Commission that our decisions are communal, because that territory belongs to community law,” said Verónica Chávez, leader of Santuario de Tres Pozos de Jujuy, to DW.
The leader cited the cases of lithium exploitation in Salinas Grandes. Several areas in this region, despite being declared one of the seven natural wonders of Argentina in 2019, were concessioned for mineral extraction.
<p"In just ten years of exploitation, our young people can no longer wash their faces in the water sources," emphasized Chávez, highlighting the water impact of the operations.Ñushpi Quilla Mauhay Alancay, a lawyer from Malalweche, an organization representing 25 communities of the Mapuche people, was another participant in the delegation. She warned that recent measures such as the repeal of the National Registry of Indigenous Communities and the elimination of Law 26160 protecting indigenous peoples from evictions complicate the situation.
“There are no legal protections, and the vulnerability of the communities is very high,” expressed the lawyer, also a member of the Quechua Colla community.
The community representatives said that European actors showed a willingness to listen to their demands.
Impacts on the life of communities
Lithium, known as the “white gold” of the 21st century, has become a strategic resource for energy transition in Europe. Considering that two-thirds of the world’s lithium reserves are concentrated between Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia, the pressure of the European Union market on these locations is enormous.
Impact on water resources is one of the consequences that have raised concerns among several specialists. “We must not overlook the high water use in a dry area, the possible local contamination of freshwater with saltwater, as well as the depletion of a non-renewable resource, the alteration of local ecosystems,” stated economist Mariana Saidón, a member of the Environment and Policy Area at UNSAM (National University of San Martín).
In Argentina, many exploitation areas overlap with recognized territories of indigenous communities. In September 2024, indigenous leaders denounced at the UN Human Rights Council the violation of their right to prior consultation. This time, in Brussels, they reaffirmed their position to European economic agents. “For us, compliance with our rules is non-negotiable. Only on that basis will we consider European investment proposals in our territories,” emphasized Mauhay Alancay.
