The Church and entrepreneurs weigh in on the illegal landfill in Gospić

A special thematic session of the parliamentary Committee on Environmental Protection to address the illegal landfill in Gospić has been called and should be held in Gospić on Friday. The focus of the session will be on the hazardous waste, including so-called forever chemicals and heavy metals, that have been found downstream of the landfill.

Gospić-Senj Bishop, the Most Reverend Marko Medo, has joined the public discussion about the illegal waste dump in Lika, voicing concern over the possible consequences for the environment and the health and safety of the people in the region. The Bishop issued a statement today titled: "Let's preserve the gift of the created world", the bishop noted that, as a representative of the local church, he feels a pastoral and moral responsibility to clearly state his views on an issue that directly affects the well-being of the people living there. He emphasized that the life, health and safety of people must be above any political, economic, business or other partial interest and that any justified suspicion of a possible threat to human health and the environment must be professionally, independently and fully investigated.

Meanwhile, the Voice of Entrepreneurs Association said that it expects of the state the same level of supervision, responsibility and timely action that is applied to entrepreneurs. The association noted today that cases of illegally dumped waste in Lika and other parts of Croatia have reopened the question of why the state monitors the private sector at a microscopic level, while serious failures in public systems are often discovered only after the problem has grown into a political scandal costing millions in damages. It further stated that if the state can monitor the bill of sale in a small cafe in real time, it must be capable of monitoring waste management, public procurement, concessions, state and local companies and the spending of public money with equal seriousness.

Source: HRT