The Minister of Environment reported that two public procurement procedures are underway and that inquiries about hazardous waste disposal have been sent to a total of 62 addresses in Europe.
Minister of Environment and Green Transition Marija Vučković reported on Saturday on the progress of the remediation and disposal of hazardous waste in Gospić. She emphasized that two public procurement procedures have been opened, and that new inquiries about waste acceptance were sent to a number of addresses across Europe that same morning.
The Minister reminded of a key infrastructure shortfall that makes waste export the only option. "Croatia has no hazardous waste landfill and no waste-to-energy plant, and that is the logical path," Vučković stated.
According to the Minister, the Ministry initiated the first round of inquiries on July 28, 2026, sending them to 15 addresses abroad. After the latest findings from the Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering were published, the search was expanded.
"In the meantime, we found more addresses in Europe, and this morning new inquiries were being sent in light of the latest published findings of the Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering. Today, we sent additional inquiries, according to the list, to 32 incinerators and 30 hazardous waste landfills," said Vučković, bringing the total number of contacted locations to 62.
The Minister acknowledged that the buried waste rightly raises public concern, especially due to its location in a karst area. She also warned of the broader problem of so-called black spots.
"Likewise, regarding the buried waste, which I said rightly worries the public, as do other locations, the so-called black spots in karst areas, it is true that besides the local pollution that is present, and which we discussed earlier, there is a risk of faster spread. That is all true. We are working on all these points," Vučković stated.
When asked what she would say to the citizens of Gospić, the Minister asked for patience. She said that we need to wait and see whether there will be interested economic entities in the two open public procurement procedures, and that citizens will be informed of the chosen remediation option after the analysis.
"We are doing everything possible," Vučković concluded.
