HDZ's political secretary supported the extraordinary session of Parliament but accused Milanović and the opposition of coordination and spreading lies about the Gospić landfill.
At the session that was adjourned on Monday, the Parliamentary Committee on Environmental Protection and Nature discussed the waste landfill in Gospić. A day later, on Tuesday in Split, HDZ's political secretary and president of the party's parliamentary club, Ante Sanader, confirmed to journalists that HDZ supports the extraordinary session of Parliament requested by President Zoran Milanović, but at the same time stated that the President is thereby aligning himself with the opposition.
"We welcome this extraordinary session of Parliament, as it will be an opportunity for Croatian citizens to hear the truth from competent experts dealing with this issue and to stop the spread of falsehoods," said Sanader.
Sanader believes that Milanović's proposal clearly demonstrates his cooperation with the opposition. "This confirms that Milanović and the opposition are on the same side, and that he is doing this once again, after violating the Constitution when he directly placed himself at the head of an opposition party during the last parliamentary elections and wanted to run as a candidate. Now this is just a continuation of that policy, but we welcome the extraordinary session so that the public can hear the truth and the lies can stop," he stated.
He described yesterday's adjourned session of the parliamentary committee as an opposition performance, not a sincere desire to learn the truth. He also accused opposition member Sandra Benčić of "managing" the session and calling for its adjournment.
When asked about SDP's accusations that HDZ is deliberately creating conflicts to divert attention from itself and that Minister of Environmental Protection and Green Transition Marija Vučković was "weaseling out" yesterday by citing a permit from 2015, Sanader dismissed these claims.
"There is no weaseling out; Minister Vučković simply stated the fact that in 2015, the SDP and their minister Zmajlović issued the approval," he said.
He then directed a direct question to the SDP: is it true that the father-in-law of party president Siniša Hajdaš Dončić "opened a hazardous waste landfill in Perušić without a permit."
President Milanović demanded that the Government immediately begin the remediation of the Gospić landfill, receive representatives of citizens' initiatives within three days, and appoint a chief state inspector within 15 days.
Sanader responded briefly: "Milanović has the right to propose whatever conclusions he wants. The MPs will make a decision on that."
Sanader also dismissed Milanović's claim that the Government and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković are relativizing the problem of the Gospić landfill. "I absolutely disagree with that, because it is not true," he said.
He emphasized that there is no relativization; rather, experts are being asked to conduct measurements and determine the actual state of the landfill. "Everything else is false statements and propaganda," he added.
He also stressed that those spreading falsehoods about the landfill should bear responsibility. "We are aware that hazardous waste has been disposed of in that area, which is a criminal act. We are aware that DORH and USKOK are conducting investigations," he said, adding that we must fight to punish those responsible.
According to HDZ's announcement on Twitter, Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Gordan Jandroković has called an extraordinary session for Thursday, August 20, 2026.
Minister Vučković told Dnevnik Nove TV: "I welcome any opportunity to present the factual situation to citizens, what we are doing, what remediation activities we are undertaking, and what still needs to be done. The citizens of Gospić have the right to answers, and we are open to dialogue and questions within our jurisdiction."
Health Minister Irena Hrstić commented for RTL Danas on yesterday's committee session: "At no point was there any talk that members of the initiative would not be able to ask questions. They wanted priority, but when you are presenting data on behalf of the ministry, it is more logical to first have the entire discussion and then allow questions."
