After USKOK released the findings of the environmental assessment in Gospić, the President of the Republic strongly criticized the Government and institutions for their slow response and lack of sanctions for illegal hazardous waste disposal.
Croatian President Zoran Milanović today, August 10, 2026, issued a strong public call to the Government of the Republic of Croatia to urgently begin remediation of the illegal hazardous waste site in Lika. Reacting to the release of environmental expert findings conducted by USKOK in the case of illegal waste disposal in Gospić, Milanović took to Facebook to demand immediate action and accountability.
In his post, the President did not mince words, calling the entire case "illegal, indeed criminal disposal of hazardous waste." He stressed that there is no more time for delay. "The Croatian Government can no longer hide behind procedures and public tenders, as it is currently doing, because people's health is undoubtedly at risk and there is a threat of permanent pollution of the area," Milanović said.
He particularly criticized the fact that no one has yet been held accountable for the failures discovered so far. He pointed out that hazardous waste from European Union countries was dumped on "public property, the land of Lika," and that all of this, according to him, happened with the help of the now-dismissed chief state inspector, Andrija Mikulić, whom he did not name.
The trigger for the President's latest reaction was precisely the released findings of USKOK's expert analysis, which revealed alarming levels of environmental damage. According to this data, as much as 37,000 tons of mixed waste were disposed of at the site on Bilajska Street in Gospić. Analyses of representative samples confirmed the hazardous property of ecotoxicity, and the soil is heavily contaminated with metals such as copper, lead, and antimony.
The supplementary expert analysis brought even more alarming news: PFAS compounds, also known as "forever chemicals," were found in groundwater downstream from the landfill. The highest measured concentration was 200.5 nanograms per liter, which is twice the parametric value for total PFAS compounds in water intended for human consumption. Experts concluded that this landfill is very likely the source of the spread of these dangerous substances into groundwater. However, it should be noted that the groundwater in question is not used for public water supply.
In his post, Milanović posed a series of questions that, as he claims, Lika and all of Croatia are still waiting to have answered. "No one has yet been held accountable for this, evidently, ecocide: neither the company that dumped hazardous European waste in Lika, nor the state institutions that should have prevented it but didn't," the President wrote.
The key question he raises is "why has no one been punished to this day for the illegal disposal of hazardous waste, and why did the competent state institutions silently allow it?" Additionally, he demands a clear timeline for the start of remediation of the landfill near Gospić.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković also reacted to the President's sharp criticism. On Sunday in Sinj, ahead of the Sinjska Alka tournament, he said the situation would be resolved strictly within legal frameworks. "The situation here is quite simple. There are two fundamental principles, and the first is that 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 more than a year and a half, and studies and expert analyses have been conducted," Plenković stated, emphasizing that the problem will not be resolved "under pressure."
Concluding his post, the President dismissed all previous justifications from the executive branch and relevant ministries, calling them intolerable. "All previous justifications from the Government and relevant ministries can no longer be tolerated; I call on them to act immediately and protect the health of the people in Lika and the future of the Lika land," Milanović's Facebook post reads.
