Portugal violated international obligations by restricting public access to information during the environmental licensing of Europe’s largest lithium mining project, a UN committee ruled on Wednesday.
The Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee found that the country’s environmental agency, APA, failed to uphold citizens’ rights to information and participation in the approval process for Savannah Resources’ Barroso project in northern Portugal. The Barroso region, recognized as a World Heritage agricultural site since 2018, has been at the center of a fierce debate between mining interests and local communities.
In 2023, APA conditionally approved the mine, operated by London-listed Savannah Resources, but residents and environmental groups have continued to resist the project. They argue that the UN ruling reinforces their demand for the license to be revoked.
According to the committee, APA did not respond to environmental information requests within legal deadlines and, when denying access, failed to inform citizens of their right to appeal. The complaint was lodged in 2021 by Spain’s Montescola Foundation, with two Portuguese groups acting as observers.
Montescola President Joam Evans welcomed the ruling, saying, “The environmental permit should be revoked.”
APA defended its actions, stating it had always complied with administrative law and made the required information available, albeit with a “different interpretation” of the convention. Savannah declined to comment.
The miner has described Barroso’s spodumene deposit as Europe’s largest, with reserves of at least 28 million tonnes of high-grade lithium, and plans to begin production in 2027 to supply the electric vehicle sector.
