Published: June 25, 2026 at 11:06 AM
Updated: June 25, 2026 at 11:06 AM
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BIRN: Vucic's German adviser and the Jadar project remained linked through an institutional partnership
On June 25, BIRN and Spiegel published an investigation into Jerg Heskens, who has worked alongside Aleksandar Vucic since 2013 and has been paid through a German GIZ partnership since 2020. According to the documents, cooperation with German structures focused on the Jadar lithium project even after the formal 2022 halt: Berlin allocated about EUR 4.9 million to support the project, and a 2025 report referred to construction planned for summer 2026 and extraction in late 2028 or early 2029.
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BIRN
Vucic's German adviser and lithium arrangements
(Vučićev nemački savetnik i litijumski dogovori)
BIRN writes that Jerg Heskens has worked alongside Aleksandar Vucic since September 2013 and has been paid by Germany through GIZ since August 2020; the total budget of the 'institutional partnership' through the end of 2026 is slightly above EUR 1.3 million. The BIRN/Spiegel investigation is based on documents BIRN collected for more than six months from German institutions under freedom-of-information rules. The article says the partnership with Vucic's cabinet focused on lithium and the Jadar project from August 25, 2020, and that in 2025 Berlin allocated about EUR 4.9 million to support the project, including advice to Serbian institutions and civil society on environmental-impact assessment and support for Serbian government talks with Rio Tinto. According to BIRN, a June 30, 2025 meeting report quoted Milan Novakovic from the mining minister's office as saying construction was planned for summer 2026 and extraction for late 2028 or early 2029; Heskens and Vucic did not answer journalists' questions.
Read sourceN1
BIRN: Jerg Heskens as Vucic's shadow - lithium deals, Jadar's 'restart', and German business interests
(BIRN: Jerg Heskens kao Vučićeva senka - litijumski dogovori, "restart" Jadra i interesi nemačke privrede)
N1 republished the BIRN/Spiegel investigation and led with the claim that Heskens has advised Vucic for 13 years while being paid by the German government. The article highlights secret meetings and plans around Jadar before and after the project's halt, German financing for mining support during student protests, and a June 27, 2022 document saying Vucic wanted to continue the Jadar research project despite concern among part of the population. N1 also reports details on the July 2024 EU-Serbia critical-raw-materials memorandum and a 2025 report in which Rio Tinto was described as 'very satisfied' with cooperation with Serbia's mining ministry.
Read sourceDanas
Which German has advised Aleksandar Vucic for 13 years while being paid by the German government?
(Koji Nemac savetuje Aleksandra Vučića već 13 godina, a plaća ga nemačka vlada?)
Danas republishes the BIRN/Spiegel article in its politics section and repeats the central question: Heskens's status raises constitutional, legal, political, and security issues because he is publicly presented as the president's adviser, while Nemanja Nenadic of Transparency Serbia says formal presidential advisers are appointed by official decision and have public-official status. Danas also preserves details on Happy Hazelnuts, where Heskens owns 41.6%, on his LinkedIn description changing after BIRN and Spiegel questions from presidential adviser to work in the president's cabinet, and on Heskens and Vucic not answering questions.
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