The Committee session in Gospić was disrupted after citizens were not given the opportunity to ask questions. The opposition demands an extraordinary session of Parliament, while the government simultaneously assures that the water is safe and regulates fuel prices.
On Monday, August 17, 2026, the Parliamentary Committee on Environmental Protection and Nature suspended its session in Gospić after representatives of citizens' initiatives and opposition MPs walked out of the hall. This followed a dispute over the right of citizens to ask questions first, which sparked outrage and led to the walkout.
The Committee Chair, Dušica Radojčić (Možemo!), proposed that representatives of the interested public, such as the citizens' initiative "Gospić Is Our Home," be given the opportunity to ask questions immediately after the rapporteur's presentation. However, the Committee's Vice-Chair, Željko Lacković (Independent Party), objected, citing parliamentary procedure, and proposed that citizens ask questions in a separate discussion block. After a brief recess, Radojčić suspended the session, accusing Lacković of denying the citizens of Gospić the right to ask questions.
Representatives of the "Gospić Is Our Home" initiative left the session about 40 minutes after it began, with the message: "The citizens of Gospić are leaving this farce; see you in Zagreb." They were followed by MPs from the left opposition (SDP and Možemo!) and Most. Most's president, Nikola Grmoja, argued that a session without representatives of the people was meaningless, while SDP president Siniša Hajdaš Dončić said: "The entire left opposition is leaving the meeting. They can entertain themselves."
Vjeko Bušić, a representative of the "Gospić Is Our Home" initiative, stated that citizens had expected concrete answers but that everything began to look like a political farce. "We thought common sense had finally prevailed, that they wouldn't stray from the topic, but that's exactly what happened. We didn't get to a single concrete question. The health of the population has again been completely ignored," he said. He added that waste analyses have been known for 28 months, nothing has been done, and the entire system has failed. Bušić emphasized that citizens wanted specific deadlines and a remediation model, and that if domestic institutions do not respond, they will redirect pressure to European institutions.
Lacković rejected claims that citizens were prevented from participating: "Representatives of the public cannot ask questions and make rejoinders like members of the parliamentary committee and MPs. We have rules of procedure that we must adhere to," he said, inviting them to return to the session. MP Marija Selak Raspudić (Drito) assessed that citizens were actually invited to listen to presentations rather than be heard: "They wanted to give them a lecture-a monologue. But people wanted to be heard. And that's the difference."
Opposition member Sandra Benčić called for an extraordinary session of Parliament and new elections, saying: "Let's go to elections!" According to unofficial information reported by the media, it is increasingly likely that President Zoran Milanović will convene an extraordinary session of Parliament due to the environmental disaster in Lika, though there is no official confirmation yet.
Ahead of the session, Health Minister Irena Hrstić stated that the water in Gospić is safe to drink, and the latest findings further confirm its health safety. The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition also announced that the water for human consumption is safe to drink and that the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund (FZOEU) has opened a new procurement procedure and issued a call for waste in bags.
At today's 192nd session, the Government of the Republic of Croatia adopted decrees continuing to regulate fuel prices. For the next seven days, new prices will be in effect: gasoline will cost €1.63/l, up by €0.07/l; diesel €1.80/l, up by €0.09/l; blue diesel €1.27/l (increase of €0.09/l); LPG for tanks €1.24/kg (increase of €0.04/kg); and LPG for bottles €1.81/kg (increase of €0.03/kg).
