Tomas Huner (Minister of Trade and Industry), interview with Pro...

Tomas Huner (Minister of Trade and Industry), interview with Pro - energy magazine 15/3/18

https://ceske-lithium.webnode.cz/_files/200000046-f04d7f1476/Rozhovor s ministrem průmyslu .pdf

Extracts:

Is lithium extraction a priority? Because of your progress in this matter, you have been criticized by Prime Minister Babis ... Is this case not too politicized? The Communists did say that they would not support the government if an Australian company adds to the memorandum it signed before the election ...?

Yes, it is a purely political. Otherwise, it's simple. The one who conducts the survey, which is in this for three years, Geomet, now owned by an Australian company, is now valid of the Upper Law, the pre-emptive right to apply at five different levels for the determination of the mining space and then mining permits. However, they must keep the rest of them all conditions of all administrative proceedings. The Memorandum has little to do with it.

I am convinced that we are once and for all with a declaration of invalidity in the case of the suspicious memorandum and began to deal with the extraction of strategic raw materials in the spirit of the government's program statement.

Is it not the idea of ​​Communists with the SPD that we are going to take lithium alone, unreal?

It would be a very expensive, state-owned enterprise- Diamo has no experience with lithium mining ...

He then plays down the importance of the resource (highlighted in red). IMO this is deliberate, as he wants to minimise the political importance of it.

I would say not long to wait now.