Party coordinator Sandra Benčić has called for a vote of no confidence in the government and new elections, while Prime Minister Andrej Plenković accuses the opposition of spreading panic and announces an accelerated cleanup of 37,000 tons of waste.
The Možemo! party on Tuesday officially requested a vote of no confidence in the government over the way institutions handled the case of illegally dumped waste in Gospić. Party coordinator Sandra Benčić called for urgent remediation, an emergency session of Parliament, and new elections, accusing Prime Minister Andrej Plenković of failing to respond in a timely and decisive manner.
Prime Minister Plenković quickly responded to the accusations via Twitter. "The government is approaching the waste situation in Gospić seriously and responsibly, unlike the opposition, which is spreading panic with misinformation in an attempt to create a fabricated emergency situation," he said. He emphasized that the cleanup process will be accelerated for a total of 37,000 tons of waste, and that all those who committed criminal offenses will be held accountable, with the state seeking reimbursement of funds for the remediation.
Benčić specifically warned of the danger from persistent PFAS chemicals, which, due to the characteristics of the karst area, could seep into groundwater. "The longer the waste remains on the ground, the greater the risk of harmful substances penetrating watercourses and the food chain," she stated, linking the demand for a no-confidence vote to potential long-term consequences for water supply, livestock, and human health. She insisted that remediation begin without delay, preferably before autumn rains, to prevent further spread of contamination.
The Prime Minister, in turn, assured the public that according to measurements by the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ), there is no threat to drinking water in Lika, and that water quality will be regularly reported on. "Just as we have previously resolved issues related to various types of waste, everyone will be fully engaged on the waste issue in Gospić-but calmly, rationally, seriously, professionally, and responsibly, without hysteria, panic, or drama," he added.
Benčić claims that Gospić is not an isolated case but a consequence of long-standing weaknesses in the oversight of hazardous waste import and processing. She cited Poznanovec, Pazin, Benkovac, Senj, and several places in Slavonia as problematic locations. She pointed out that authorities have known about the issue for a year and a half, making it difficult for them to now claim sudden urgency before European institutions.
The chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Environment and Nature Protection, Dušica Radojčić, has convened a thematic session in Gospić. The goal is to obtain concrete answers from relevant ministers about the timeline and methodology for the urgent remediation of contaminated soil, precisely to prevent autumn rains from pushing waste and potentially hazardous substances deeper into the karst underground.
Plenković, after a meeting of the inner cabinet and coalition, stated that the coalition is stable and that "the opposition's initiative for a vote of no confidence will end like many before it." The no-confidence vote thus becomes the central political demand through which Možemo! aims to open a debate on the conduct of institutions and the state of the waste management system.
