After the Environmental Committee session in Gospić was abruptly adjourned, sources close to the President's Office confirm that Zoran Milanović will seek an urgent parliamentary session due to the ecological crisis in Lika.
The Parliamentary Committee on Environmental Protection and Nature abruptly adjourned its extraordinary session in Gospić on Monday, August 17, 2026, and according to unofficial information from circles close to the President's Office, Zoran Milanović will call an extraordinary session of Parliament. The reason is the ecological disaster in Lika linked to illegal hazardous waste dumping.
Sources indicate that after the failed meeting in Gospić, opposition leaders did not speak with the president, but it was previously agreed that Milanović, in the event of failure at the Committee, would very likely request an extraordinary session of parliament.
Left-wing opposition parties called on the President of the Republic on Monday to use his constitutional powers and convene an extraordinary session of the Croatian Parliament. SDP leader Siniša Hajdaš Dončić emphasized that the opposition itself has no mechanism to call a session and that it is necessary to ensure a remediation plan for the illegal landfill in Gospić with clearly defined deadlines.
"We are aware that the opposition cannot call an extraordinary session of Parliament, so we ask the President of the State, Zoran Milanović, to use his constitutional powers and call an extraordinary session of Parliament"
said Hajdaš Dončić. He listed as key demands a remediation plan that includes funding, deadlines, and responsible persons, as well as the disclosure of all other locations where hazardous waste is allegedly stored improperly.
Hajdaš Dončić claimed that the Ministry issues permits for hazardous waste, while customs and the State Inspectorate are the only institutions in Croatia that can conduct oversight. "The Ministry is the institution that issues the permit for hazardous waste; customs and the State Inspectorate are the only institutions in Croatia that can oversee this, and the only person who can coordinate this but refuses to do so is Andrej Plenković," he said.
He attributed "full political responsibility" to Prime Minister Plenković and added that the problem of illegal waste is neither a party nor an identity issue, but "a matter of common sense and a matter of a better and healthier Croatia."
Sandra Benčić, coordinator of the Možemo! party, stated that the left-wing opposition has signed a series of demands whose primary goal is the remediation of the landfill in Gospić, as well as other similar locations across the country. "That is why we need an extraordinary session of Parliament, that is why we need a budget rebalance to secure this," she said.
The second part of the demands relates to the resignation of the government due to responsibility for a system that, in her assessment, enabled or encouraged criminal activities. "One case can be a criminal incident, two cases can be a matter of organized crime, but when you have hundreds of them across Croatia, then it is a matter of the political system," Benčić said.
Marijana Puljak from the Center drew a parallel with the American series "The Sopranos," stating that Croatia is "experiencing what was described in that series, namely that the mafia manages and controls waste." "Here in Croatia, we have the Sopranos in action," she said.
She also commented on the government's response to citizens' fears, saying that Prime Minister Plenković, instead of answering questions about dangers, boasts about "grand achievements in the tourist season."
Milivoj Špika, president of the Blok umirovljenici zajedno party, assessed that Croatia has been "brought into a position to choose between its future or ruin," and for the current government, he said it "must disappear, must be erased, and must be removed."
Selak Raspudić commented on the seating arrangement at the session, saying: "Look who HDZ placed in the front row; that is a message to everyone."
The extraordinary session of the Committee in Gospić was originally scheduled for last Friday but was postponed due to a large fire near Omiš.
