The Vareš silver mine: A brighter future for Bosnia and Herzegovina?

In a few weeks, the Vareš polymetallic underground silver mine in Bosnia and Herzegovina is set to launch full-scale operations. Silver, gold, lead, zinc, copper, antimony, and other metals could then be extracted from the host rocks. 

These strategic metals are crucial for the European Union as it endeavours to reduce dependency on Chinese or Russian raw materials. 

But trouble is stirring. Ecological activists from a nearby town have filed a complaint with the Council of Europe's Bern Convention office, claiming that the project is threatening local biodiversity and that water will become polluted by the planned mining activities. 

Euronews sent its reporter Hans von der Brelie to the Bosnian mountains to check out what was going on.

I want to get into this Vareš silver mine, operated by UK-based mining company Adriatic Metals. But this is only possible with an emergency breathing device and special security training. Jimmy from New Zealand takes me underground. He has 26 years of work experience in Australia, Mongolia, Indonesia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Burkina Faso. Now he's in Bosnia and Herzegovina, working for Adriatic Metals.

"The minerals here are good for the country, and there will be benefits flowing down to the local community," Jimmy says.

800,000 tonnes of minerals will be extracted from underground each year. It's currently the biggest mining project in Bosnia and Herzegovina, representing 25% of the country's foreign direct investment. 

I have an appointment with geologist, Marko. His team are the company's treasure hunters. The 29-year-old has analysed hundreds of drill cores, most of them full of metals. 

A year ago, he expected to find some 12 million tonnes of ore. But his initial calculations were