Plenković: Those Responsible for Waste in Gospić Will Be Held Accountable
After a meeting in the Neretva Valley, the Prime Minister also commented on the train collision near Škrinjari and announced pension increases for 580,000 retirees.
After a meeting in the Neretva Valley, the Prime Minister also commented on the train collision near Škrinjari and announced pension increases for 580,000 retirees.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Saturday sent a clear message regarding illegal waste disposal in the Gospić area and the Lika-Senj County. Following a meeting with all relevant stakeholders, he stated that those responsible will be prosecuted and that a comprehensive remediation plan will be prepared, with financial support from the Environmental Protection Fund.
"The message to citizens is that those responsible for the waste ending up there will be held accountable, and the waste will be remediated," Plenković said.
The Prime Minister recalled the earlier case of baled waste near Varaždin, emphasizing that the state backed the remediation project and resolved the issue. He stressed the importance of conducting the procurement procedure lawfully, given the large amount of money involved. "It is important that the entire procurement process complies with the law because the amount is too large to resort to direct contracting. I understand the urgency, but the urgency is there, and all services are working," he said.
He also addressed the recent invitation to Gospić Mayor Darko Milinović to meet with Minister of Construction Branko Bačić, which Milinović said he was unable to attend. The mayor had earlier called for urgent remediation of hazardous waste and hinted at possible protests in Zagreb if concrete steps were not taken.
On Sunday in Sinj, ahead of the Sinjska Alka, Plenković further clarified that the situation would not be resolved under pressure. "The situation is quite simple. There are two fundamental principles: first, all those responsible for the disposal of that waste-whether external or buried-will have to answer for it. The competent authorities, DORH and USKOK, are handling this, and all investigations are ongoing. This has been going on for over a year and a half, and studies and expert analyses have been conducted," he said. He also emphasized that direct negotiation cannot be pursued until public tender options are exhausted. "No direct deals can be made until the possibilities of public calls are exhausted. That is the transparent way to handle such matters, and they are engaged in finding suitable interested companies," he added. He reminded that the government allocated just under 30 million euros for the remediation of the bales in Varaždin. "Just as we solved that, this in Lika will also be resolved, but through a lawful procedure, not under media, political, or any other pressure to act outside the process, only for those same people who are now pushing 'quick, quick, quick, make a deal' to later say-'how did you give that job worth several million euros to those very companies?' We have too much experience to fall for such pressures," Plenković said.
During the day, Plenković also commented on the train collision near Škrinjari, expressing regret over the accident. "The investigation will reveal the cause of the accident; I cannot comment on that at this moment. What is important is that the injured have been given the most urgent care through emergency medical services. It is good that there were no fatalities," he said.
When asked by journalists about the imminent fuel price increase, the Prime Minister responded that if it happens, it will be minimal. He reminded that the government has been regulating and mitigating the impact of rising fuel prices on citizens for five months. In Sinj, he also announced that all five energy sources would be cheaper next week.
In addition to environmental issues and the traffic accident, the Prime Minister commented on the announced pension increases. He emphasized that an injustice against Croatian veterans, dating back to the Račan government, is being corrected. "This dates back to the Račan government, so we are correcting yet another injustice. It is not a new increase, but rather restoring things to the state they should have been," he said.
He added that this contrasts with proposals from other parties. "Unlike the proposals of some other parties, which were probably doing some PR and suddenly are not sure whether the Homeland War is a myth or, as it is for us, the foundation of the modern Croatian state, freedom, and democracy," Plenković asserted.
The increase will cover 200,000 veterans, and by abolishing income tax on all pensions within the tax brackets, pensions will increase for an additional 580,000 retirees. Plenković also confirmed the target for the average pension. "We are on the path we set, which is that the overall average pension in Croatia by the end of our third government's mandate will be between 750 and 800 euros," he said.
The Prime Minister also recalled earlier measures such as more favorable calculations and the abolition of penalties, emphasizing that this is a continuation of the government's policy. The state budget allocates as much as 10.2 billion euros for pensions, which accounts for more than a quarter of the expenditure side of the budget.
