The president of Most has demanded political accountability from Minister Vučković and Prime Minister Plenković, and announced that his party will continue to expose the 'criminal collusion' responsible for illegal waste disposal.
Nikola Grmoja, president of Most, on Saturday once again sharply criticized the government over the illegal waste disposal case in the area of the former PPK Velebit near Gospić. Ahead of the 29th Neretva River Rowing Marathon in Metković, he demanded political accountability from the highest officials and announced that his party will continue to expose what he calls a 'criminal collusion'.
Grmoja did not mince words when describing his discomfort at being on the event's command ship. "My stomach hurts, sitting in such a small space with the same people who poisoned our Lika," he said, referring to the remediation of a total of 37,000 tons of waste, of which 33,000 tons were buried at the Gospić site.
Beyond expressing personal disgust, Grmoja also made specific accusations. He stated that Chief State Inspector Andrija Mikulić, appointed to that position by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, "received money to poison the people of Lika." He emphasized that he expects "a minimum of political accountability."
Agriculture Minister Marija Vučković and the Prime Minister himself were also in his crosshairs. "Who all received money, who turned a blind eye? Some of them are certainly Minister Vučković and Prime Minister Plenković, but there are also representatives of county and city authorities in Gospić. They are all responsible," asserted the Most leader.
He particularly noted the lack of response from the relevant minister, saying: "Instead of at least Minister Vučković offering her resignation, nothing of the sort. They resort to ridiculous excuses." He urged citizens not to forget who poisoned them and who exposed that poisoning.
Grmoja also took the opportunity to criticize the government over other long-promised projects. He reminded that Prime Minister Plenković has not visited Metković since 2016, when he promised a series of infrastructure investments. "He promised an underpass and connecting Metković to the highway. Ten years have passed, and only now is the project starting to be realized," he said.
He also commented on the Gornji Horizonti project, which he claims is already negatively affecting the Neretva River. He pointed out that it took the authorities ten years to initiate an environmental impact assessment of the project on the Neretva Valley, in line with the international Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context.
In addition to environmental topics, Grmoja also commented on the government's model for increasing veterans' pensions, which is set to take effect on January 1, 2027. Under this model, the supplement amounts to three euros per month for each month spent in a combat sector and 50 cents per month in a non-combat sector.
While welcoming any fair increase, Grmoja criticized the earlier proposal by the Možemo party as incomplete. He stressed that veterans who continued working after their service are particularly disadvantaged. "I believe an injustice has been done to them, and their pensions must be much higher because they continued to contribute to the pension system through their work," he said, announcing that Most will draft its own comprehensive proposal.
