I can't wait to read Miro's response to your post nimbus - I...

I can't wait to read Miro's response to your post nimbus - I share your appreciation for his background and insights.

I get your concern about CR potentially wanting to leave EU. However, my thinking would be that - just like Brexit - this process would take time and surely it can not happen over night (requires a referendum perhaps? - a 2-3 year process). The lithium opportunity on the other hand is something that is likely to disappear soon - time is absolutely of the essence! Reason would seem to dictate that the CR government and EMH come to an agreement sooner rather than later, for ALL parties to come out of this as winners.

Likewise, a government war of attrition against EMH by blocking supply to the mine would lead to a delay in mining the resource. Again, the government would cut its nose to spite its face.

My biggest concerns are firstly, the continuing decline of EMH's share price, which will - mining rights notwithstanding - put it in an increasingly powerless negotiating position with the government. The current lack of news-flow is likely to see a continuation of this trend. Secondly, corruption and tunneling referred to by Miro - I could see the project get stuck in a quagmire even though the government could be notionally "supportive" of the mine development.

Finally, one can try to determine the most likely outcome based on "reason", but one has to look no further than the Australian government's interference in the gas market here, where it forced gas companies - notwithstanding contractual agreements to supply international customers - to divert some of their gas to the domestic market [not to mention the pathetic attempt to bully AGL in regard to the closure of the Liddell power station], to see how far logic and reason can be used to predict commercial outcomes.