Plenković: efforts are underway to remove illegal waste in Gospić

On Monday President Zoran Milanović called for an urgent remediation to the crisis in Gospić, while the Chair of Parliament's Environmental Protection Committee, Možemo MP Dušica Radojčić, called a thematic session of the committee to be held in Gospić on Friday.

Public disgust over the disposal of hazardous waste in an illegal landfill in Gospić continues to grow after a recent expert report on the illegal landfill uncovered the presence of so-called "forever chemicals" and heavy metals. Pressure is now mounting on the government of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, as opposition politicians have joined citizens in calling for remediation.

Here's what the Prime Minister had to say about the issue on Tuesday: "Unfortunately, no interested institutions responded to the first public tender we issued a couple of months ago. Of the total amount of 37 thousand tons, 32 tons are buried, while the remaining five thousand tons are on the surface. Right now we're re-issuing that public tender for those five tons on the surface. We believe that this time interested companies will answer the tender, after which that waste that has been characterized as harmless will be removed. With regard to the buried waste, which contains hazardous waste, we have to find appropriate companies that are competent to handle this kind of waste. Croatia does not have an appropriate location nor the appropriate facilities to handle this kind of waste. At this time the Environmental Protection Fund has contacted some seventy companies throughout Europe that deal with this kind of stuff, in a bid to convince one of them to help us in this effort, if not through the public tender, then through the subsequent negotiating process, so that this waste can also be removed."

On Monday, the Homeland Movement, a junior member of the coalition government, called for an urgent meeting of the coalition government. Party President Ivan Penava called on the government to declare the illegal landfill in Gospić an ecological catastrophe, and to proceed without a public tender given the urgent nature of the threat. Asked to comment on the calls for a vote of no-confidence and possible discontent among some of his coalition partners, Prime Minister Plenković insisted that the HDZ-led government is stable.

Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection and Green Transition Minister issued a statement today emphasizing that it did not issue permits or conduct inspections, and that they will continue to work on resolving the problem in cooperation with all institutions, as well as representatives of the City of Gospić and its citizens. In its statement the ministry noted that the situation in Gospić is the consequence of the illegal activities of certain individuals whose responsibility must be established and processed by the competent authorities. It further noted that the Ministry and the Environmental Protection Fund assume responsibility for everything that falls within their jurisdiction, which is to ensure the legal, professional and comprehensive remediation of the location."

Source: HRT