Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Butković stated that the removal of hazardous waste must be comprehensive and those responsible for the environmental disaster must be punished.
Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure and Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Butković stated on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, that it is necessary to carry out the remediation of hazardous waste in Gospić as soon as possible. He made the statement during a tour of the bypass construction site near Drniš, where he commented on the parliamentary session requested by the President of the Republic.
Butković emphasized that he expects a constructive debate in the Croatian Parliament, during which representatives of the competent ministry, the minister, and other involved institutions should provide deputies and the public with information on the current status of the entire remediation process.
"This is an opportunity for representatives of the Ministry, the minister, and other institutions to inform the public and the Croatian Parliament about the current state of the entire remediation. In my opinion, this is the most important thing. The remediation must be carried out as soon as possible and it must be comprehensive so that hazardous waste is properly removed from that location," Butković said for HRT.
The minister stressed that the remediation of hazardous waste must not be partial or delayed, but that the hazardous material must be removed properly, respecting prescribed procedures and protecting the population and the environment. Butković also believes that it is necessary to determine who is responsible for what he described as an environmental disaster.
He emphasized that, after the debate is held and all available data are presented, all those proven to be at fault should be sanctioned. He did not provide details on possible sanctions or individuals covered by the procedures of the competent institutions.
For residents of the affected area, it will be particularly important to receive precise information about the safety of the site and the potential impact of the waste on health and the environment. Citizens also want to know how the material will be disposed of and which institutions will be responsible for overseeing the works. The minister's statement so far has not specified deadlines or an action plan.
Sandra Benčić, coordinator of the Možemo! party, stated on Wednesday that at the extraordinary session of the Parliament, her main goal will be to define the steps in the remediation of illegal waste in Gospić and to take urgent measures to prevent further leakage of leachate into groundwater. She pointed out that EU regulations and Croatian public procurement regulations provide exceptions precisely for urgent actions to prevent major risks.
"What our goal for tomorrow is to ensure that steps in the remediation are defined and that urgent measures to prevent further leakage of leachate into groundwater are taken immediately. So, that this measure is taken immediately, without delay and without lengthy public procurement procedures," Benčić said.
Benčić added that the authorities have known about the situation since 2023, when the State Inspectorate began conducting inspections, and in 2024 it requested the cessation of all waste disposal activities and cross-border waste imports by the company that committed ecocide in Gospić. She also warned that Gospić is not an isolated incident but one of a thousand indicators that such a system allows Croatia to become the EU's waste dumping ground.
The extraordinary session of the Croatian Parliament on the topic of ecocide in Gospić will be held on Thursday and Friday, August 20 and 21, 2026, starting on Thursday at 9:30 AM. President Zoran Milanović sent a request to Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, who convened the session in accordance with the Constitution and the Rules of Procedure.
Most party MPs Zvonimir Troskot and Marin Miletić stated on Wednesday that the trail of hazardous waste leads to the Association for Secondary Raw Materials, Collection and Processing of the Croatian Chamber of Economy (HGK), whose members include companies "on the smuggler's protocol" Cezar and Kemis Thermoclean. They demanded that it be determined whether private companies, through HGK, influenced the amendments to the Waste Management Act from 2021, proposed by the Ministry led by Tomislav Ćorić. "The investigation must not stop at the direct perpetrators, transporters, and owners of individual landfills, but must encompass the business and institutional structures within which such a system could have arisen," Troskot emphasized.
SDP president Siniša Hajdaš Dončić commented on Facebook, saying that "HDZ, in an attempt to save itself" from the hazardous waste affair in Gospić, has only "the joker card of their boyfriend" left, alluding to Chief State Attorney Ivan Turudić. "Unlike them, we care about citizens and their health. Responsibility for Gospić cannot and will not remain buried like 37,000 tons of hazardous waste," Hajdaš Dončić said.
