Vjeran Piršić, president of the Eko Kvarner Association, warned on the show Novi dan that illegal waste dumping in Gospić is not an isolated incident but part of a system that has enabled environmental crimes for decades and threatens strategic drinking water reserves.
Vjeran Piršić, president of the Eko Kvarner Association, appeared on the show Novi dan with Tihomir Ladišić on N1 Croatia, where he commented on the illegal waste dumping in Gospić. He summarized his assessment in a sharp statement made at the very beginning of the conversation.
"The first thing that needs to be said is this: this is not just an environmental protection problem. This is not just a problem of a criminal organization. This is a problem of terrorism against the Republic of Croatia, because what is being destroyed here is not only, due to climate change, probably the most valuable area of the Republic of Croatia, but also, due to climate change, the most important resource-water-is very likely being poisoned, and permanently at that," said Piršić.
Piršić emphasized that the crime in Gospić is not an isolated incident, recalling cases in Vranjic, Obrovac-Lužini, Dugi Rat, Crno Brdo, and Ravni Kotari. He particularly highlighted the example of Crno Brdo and Ravni Kotari, where, as he said, waste was brought from Tef in Šibenik to Crno Brdo, and those who for decades claimed that no poisoning was occurring never faced any consequences.
"But let's just look at, say, the latest example of Crno Brdo and Ravni Kotari, when waste was brought from Tef in Šibenik to Crno Brdo, and those who for decades claimed that no poisoning was occurring. So, the entire system has been mutating for decades to enable such things, and it was only a matter of time before waste from outside-hazardous waste, not just from Croatia as before-would arrive. Thirdly, those people who did this, no one ever faced consequences," he stressed.
He added that all Croatian citizens and businesses are paying fines to the European Union because of Crno Brdo. "We know who signed the studies, we know who approved them, we know who for decades signed laboratory findings claiming it wasn't dangerous, while German laboratories were raising the alarm about all of it. So, we have an absolute amnesty for people who commit such outrages in Croatia, within a system that has been built over decades," he said.
The worst part, according to him, is that these people are still part of the system. "Apart from those who have retired and walk their dogs on Saturdays in Kaptol Center, we have people here who have not been punished. They haven't been punished for not-so-big outrages and crimes, but for the big outrages and crimes they commit. It's not just Gospić, it's not just Ravni Kotari. Croatia is full of such outrages," he stated.
Piršić revealed that the Eko Kvarner Association filed criminal complaints as early as 2007, but nothing ever happened, and no one was ever punished. That, as he said, is why he has not trusted the system in Croatia for 20 years.
"I apologize to the people who do their jobs perfectly, consciously, and conscientiously within the system. But I truly no longer, for 20 years, trust the system in Croatia," he said.
Asked whether the assessment that there is no danger to the soil, life, and people within a radius of more than 100 meters from the waste site is realistic, Piršić replied: "Well, this sounds incredible to me, but I cannot claim that someone isn't telling the truth. What I can definitely claim is that ever since I, as an amateur, as a volunteer, have been involved in environmental protection, whenever any outrage occurred, there was always some state inspector saying: there is no danger. And that was even before they went out into the field."
Piršić believes that the executive, legislative, and judicial branches should declare a national threat and form a crisis headquarters, not a commission that would deliberate for months. "This is a national threat to the most important part of the territory due to climate change and strategic drinking water reserves. When that is said, logically, a crisis headquarters should be formed. Not a commission that will deliberate for months, but a crisis headquarters that can include people with enough determination, courage, honesty, and above all, knowledge to solve the problem," he stated.
He also warned that a solution must be sought today, before the autumn rains. "So, before the problem radicalizes, every lost day is a dramatically lost day," he said. He also criticized the executive branch's attitude toward the problem, comparing it to the denial of an addict.
"It's like when an alcoholic or a drug addict says there's no problem, that it's just evil neighbors. If the executive branch continues to treat the problem this way, I fear the catastrophe will multiply," he said.
Piršić reminded that environmental protection in Croatia became irrational back in 2005 and 2006. As an example, he cited that the then Minister of Health said in his office that he would allow further asbestos processing in Vranjic, even though a law prohibiting it was already in force, and he was allegedly persuaded to do so by the Minister of Economy.
"This is not a matter of rational questions. Environmental protection in Croatia became irrational back in 2005, 2006, so the Minister of Health actually told us in his office that he would allow, orally, further asbestos processing in Vranjic, even though a law prohibiting it was already in force. To calm some social tensions, and he was persuaded by the Minister of Economy," he stressed.
Finally, he highlighted the value of the aquifer in Lika, referring to the late Professor Srećko Božičević. "If we had a God-given, fantastic aquifer, as the late Professor Srećko Božičević said, like Lika, and if those were our strategic reserves, if that was our chance to survive climate change, even in the worst-case scenario, and we went and destroyed it because of the greed of a few corrupt individuals and a system that has been mutating for decades to enable such things instead of preventing them," Piršić concluded.
Piršić also posed three key questions for the future of the remediation: who could provide the optimal technology, who could give the executive branch a recommendation for the optimal technology, and who will oversee it. "But it seems to me that it's simply too late to wait too long now," he added.
