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The construction of the Japanese tire factory Tojo tires has begun in Indjija, which should reach the production of five million tires per year by 2023. It is the only plant of that Japanese company on European soil, and with 382 million euros, it is also the largest Japanese investment in Serbia, said President Aleksandar Vučić during the laying of the first stone. Together with the Chinese Linglong, it will place Serbia in a prominent place in the tire market, but the question remains what it brings to it in the field of ecology.
Toyo Tires’ first factory in Europe will be located on 63 hectares of donated land in the Indjija Industrial Zone, in a year and a half. There, 560 workers will produce five million tires a year, mainly for the European, African and North American markets.
“We will produce the highest quality products here at a competitive price and in an energy efficient manner,” said Takashi Shimizu, general manager of Toyo Tires.
They chose the location carefully and are sure, he says, that they have found the ideal setting in Serbia. According to the president, who competed with Poland for their arrival, they also received 41 million euros in aid as a gift.
“This company will be one of the most powerful and important exporters in the territory of the Republic of Serbia. These are huge incentives for the development of the Serbian economy,” said Aleksandar Vučić.
The construction of the Japanese factory, together with the Chinese Linglong in Zrenjanin, places Serbia in a high position in the world tire market, they say in the Chamber of Commerce and explain that investors are coming due to favorable conditions for the turnover of capital.
“The most important factor is geopolitical, that is, our agreements with Russia and the European Union,” says Dragan Stevanović of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce.
It is clear that they bring jobs, but what they contribute to the environment as a rubber industry is a question that the citizens of Indjija also asked, but unlike the people of Zrenjanin, they are rare. Among them is Strahinja Jovanovic, first as an activist and now as a councilor in the local assembly.
My main question for the mayor was whether the investment is environmentally friendly, because we have a situation in Zrenjanin with another Linglong tire factory, which, as we can see in the media, does a lot of things outside the regulations and that the citizens Zrenjanin are concerned. “That information came out for Toyo tires, because of the past of some factories in Indjija polluting, I was concerned,” said Strahinja Jovanovic, a member of the “CitizenIN” group.
It seems that they were reassured by the mayor’s promise that it is modern and clean technology, as well as that the construction permit will not be issued to the investor until the Environmental Impact Assessment Study is approved. And so, says Jovanović, it was. On the other hand, 80 kilometers away, in Zrenjanin, a Chinese tire manufacturer received ten building permits before such a study was mentioned.
“The Republic of Serbia not only did not oblige the investor to respect its regulations, but was also an active accomplice and actively participated in the violation of the regulations. What are the consequences of this? The consequences are that the citizens of Zrenjanin and Serbia they don’t know the impact of this project on their health, “says Jovan Rajić of the Regulatory Institute for Renewable Energy and Environment (RERI).
“I am not familiar with that, but we will have to give our full attention to protecting the environment. I am grateful to the Japanese partners who did it, I think our Chinese partners in Zrenjanin will, because the state of Serbia will certainly insist on that. “said Vucic.
So far, they have not done so, they assure in RERI, adding that, according to their analysis, the State has paid illicit aid to the Chinese Linglong with taxes and other benefits, which exceeds the 83 and a half million euros reported.
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