MPs Troskot and Miletić accuse PM Plenković of downplaying the scale of hazardous waste pollution. They demand an emergency session of Parliament, with a protest in Gospić scheduled for August 16 at 9:30 AM.
Most party MPs Zvonimir Troskot and Marin Miletić announced on Wednesday that they are initiating a no-confidence motion against the Government of the Republic of Croatia. They cited the executive's responsibility for the environmental disaster caused by illegal dumping of hazardous waste in the Lika region as the key reason. Troskot also called on President Zoran Milanović and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković to convene an emergency session of Parliament.
At a press conference, they assessed that this is an organized system of illegal waste management that has escalated into what they called a "permitted organized bioterrorist act." According to their claims, the areas of Lika, Gacka, Senj, and the Zadar hinterland are threatened, which amounts to nearly a fifth of Croatian territory.
The MPs were particularly critical of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's statements the previous day. "You can talk to people about the tourist season, pensions, economic indicators, and any other topic, but if they ask you whether the water they drink is safe, then as Prime Minister you must answer that question first. Everything else becomes secondary at that moment," emphasized Marin Miletić. He added that Most will not allow political responsibility to rest on a single person who will be "sacrificed" to protect the rest of the system.
Troskot, in turn, pointed out that the way waste has ended up at various locations over the years points to a system that has threatened national security. "We are talking about an organized act that has endangered the health and lives of people, the environment, and the future of the population of Lika, Gacka, Senj, and the Zadar hinterland. Environmental threats are also recognized in the National Security Strategy of the Republic of Croatia," he said.
Most claims that residents of Lika, due to distrust in institutions, financed water tests with their own money. According to information available to the party, the presence of PFAS compounds was confirmed, and the findings are also linked to groundwater. Troskot emphasized that PFAS was identified in taps in Otočac and Gospić and accused HDZ members and ministers of obstructing the revelation of the affair "while in Lički Osik, the water smells like burning plastic."
"The Prime Minister talks about hysteria and panic, while citizens paid for water tests with their own money. For months, we have been on the ground talking to people who told us the water had an unpleasant smell reminiscent of burning plastic and that they didn't want to use it even for showering," said Troskot. He added that the testimonies are documented and the identities of citizens are protected because they feared repercussions. He also warned that Gospić Mayor Darko Milinović had already tried to show on the town square that the water is not contaminated with PFAS, calling it a "Vučić-style PR stunt."
Miletić also expressed personal outrage at the Prime Minister's reaction: "In the six years I have been an MP, I have rarely felt such a level of outrage after a speech by the Prime Minister. We are talking about people who fear for their health, families who wonder what water they are drinking, and huge amounts of waste that have ended up in the heart of Croatia, and the Prime Minister talks about panic and hysteria. That is unacceptable." Miletić assessed that there are two possibilities: "either the man is completely out of touch with reality or he thinks no one can touch him."
On the other hand, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on social media that the Government is approaching the waste situation in Gospić "seriously and responsibly, unlike the opposition, which is spreading panic with misinformation." He announced the acceleration of the remediation of a total of 37,000 tons of waste and stated that all those who committed criminal acts will be held accountable, and the state will also seek reimbursement of funds for the remediation.
"According to HZJZ measurements, there is no threat to drinking water in Lika, and the public will be regularly informed about water quality," Plenković wrote, adding that the coalition is stable and that the opposition's initiative to oust the Government will end like many before it. A day earlier, after a meeting of the inner cabinet and the coalition, he said that the criminal process is ongoing and that everyone wants the perpetrators to be most severely sanctioned.
Most has called on citizens to protest on Sunday, August 16, at 9:30 AM in Gospić, organized by the initiative "Gospić Without Poison" and its leader Mile Ilić. "Mile Ilić and his associates were among the first to start uncovering what is happening in Gospić, long before many actors who are now speaking out. While they were warning of the danger, attempts were made to silence them and politically extinguish them so that the truth would not come before the Croatian public," said Troskot.
The MPs also demand urgent systematic monitoring of water catchment areas. "No PR stunt, not even publicly drinking a glass of water, will answer the question of what is happening in the entire groundwater system. Continuous and transparent testing of the Lika and Gacka catchment areas, the area towards Senj, and now the Zadar hinterland and Zrmanja is needed," said Troskot. He also warned that remediation must not become greenwashing and that there must be a clear and verifiable trail for every kilogram of waste.
Troskot also warned of the need for a detailed investigation into the movement of waste between Gospić, Rakitovac, Benkovac, and other locations, as well as the role of all involved companies, transporters, utility companies, and responsible individuals. "This could not have happened overnight. We need to determine who produced the waste, who took it over, who transported it, where it ended up, who issued the documentation, who conducted oversight, and who turned a blind eye all these years," he said.
He also emphasized that hazardous waste must be treated the same as nuclear waste. "That's what experts in the field we contacted say. So, it must go into barrels and containers, deep underground. We should already be opening a discussion on this," said Troskot, adding that this is a temporary solution until technology development enables safe sorting and remediation. He also warned of the danger that all this waste could end up in Indonesia or Africa, recalling the 1998 Aarhus Convention, according to which Third World countries have the right to return illegal waste.
The Most parliamentary group sent the text of the proposal to initiate a no-confidence vote against the Government of Andrej Plenković to all parliamentary clubs and other MPs on the same day. They asked all of them to support the initiative to oust Plenković's government, to send possible amendments and corrections to the text, or to immediately sign the initiative so that enough signatures can be collected as soon as possible to initiate the procedure.
The proposal calls for the immediate inclusion of the item "Proposal to Initiate a No-Confidence Vote in the Government of the Republic of Croatia" on the Parliament's agenda due to the illegal dumping of large quantities of hazardous and ecotoxic waste in the Gospić and Lika area. The text states that the Government has not ensured the level of timeliness, transparency, coordination, and accountability required by the seriousness of the potential consequences for the population and the environment, and that the Government's political responsibility does not prejudice the criminal, misdemeanor, administrative, material, or other liability of specific natural and legal persons.
Cleanup Action at Jarun While fierce political debates rage over the environmental affair in Lika, a different story unfolded at Zagreb's Jarun lake. Right-wingers and volunteers gathered to clean the sports fields with their own hands, without press conferences or political slogans. In a published video, one participant in the action said: "As a patriot, I have to clean." He also called out those who, in his words, should be responsible for maintaining the sports fields. Ante Rašić, a columnist for Hrvatski glasnik, writes in his column today that almost everyone wants the government to fall, but at the same time, few actually want it to happen.
