Southeast Europe’s resources, ports, and infrastructure make it a crucial partner for the EU’s energy transition and regional economic integration. The region possesses strategic mineral resources critical for Europe’s energy transition and high-tech industries, including the defence sector. Serbia’s Jadar lithium project contains about 136 million tonnes of ore with 1.8% lithium oxide , producing around 58,000 tonnes of lithium annually -enough for roughly 1.1 million electric cars. Serbia’s c