The MP and president of the Centar party accused the government of systemic neglect and cover-ups of environmental incidents, noting that the deadline for transposing a key European directive expired three months ago.
Marijana Puljak, an MP and president of the Centar party, leveled sharp criticism at the HDZ-led government during a press conference held on August 11, 2026, at the Croatian Parliament. The occasion was the environmental scandal in Gospić, where over 37,000 tons of hazardous waste were buried in the ground, but Puljak emphasized that this is not an isolated incident but a direct consequence of years of systemic neglect by the government.
"The European Union adopted Directive 2024/1203 on the protection of the environment through criminal law, and the deadline for its transposition into Croatian legislation was May 21, 2026. That deadline passed three months ago," said Puljak. The directive provides for drastic penalties, including up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to 40 million euros for companies that damage the environment, and it also obliges states to build prevention capacities. "The government had more than two years to build a system that would prevent the next Gospić, but it did nothing," she concluded.
Puljak recalled a case from the time when Ivica Puljak was mayor, when air pollution with arsenic and toxic particles was detected in the North Port in Split. At the time, the HDZ-run State Inspectorate refused to provide the City of Split and citizens with inspection findings, citing "inspection secrecy." The City of Split had to wage a legal battle until the High Administrative Court ruled that data on environmental pollution and human health cannot be kept secret.
"That is the key difference: we fight for transparency and people's health, while HDZ hides its own negligence and favoritism under the guise of secrecy," said Puljak. She warned that Gospić is just the latest in a series of unremediated black spots across Croatia, including 300,000 tons of waste slag in Dugi Rat, 140,000 tons of hazardous slag in Biljane Donje, the Sovjak pit in Viškovo, the red mud basin in Obrovac, and asbestos in the Kaštela Bay and Vranjic.
She also commented on the invitation from the Most parliamentary club to today's meeting about the situation in Lika, to which the HDZ club was also invited. Puljak explained why Centar did not attend: "The only environmental measure to save Croatia is removing HDZ from power. Most invited them to the meeting in Parliament, and that is not a serious meeting about toppling HDZ. We are not interested in fixing HDZ; we are exclusively interested in toppling HDZ."
She concluded that she will always respond to any initiative or meeting aimed at permanently removing HDZ from power, not just "cosmetic changes."
On the same day, August 11, 2026, Minister of Croatian Veterans Tomo Medved announced on Twitter the expansion of the network of veterans' centers. After establishing the first four branches in Šibenik, Sinj, Petrinja, and Daruvar, the Ministry of Croatian Veterans plans to open five more branches across Croatia. Meetings were held in Virovitica and Krapina with their mayors, and representatives from Biograd na Moru also attended; offices are planned in Osijek and Senj.
Minister Medved emphasized that more than half of the funds for the expansion come from European Union funds and that the project is an expression of gratitude to Croatian veterans and a focus on improving their health. A day earlier, on August 10, Medved also announced the establishment of the Institute for Hyperbaric Medicine within the Petrinja Veterans' Center, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and the Zagreb University Hospital Center. The installation of the hyperbaric chamber and other equipment has been completed, and testing and staff training are underway. The project is funded with the assistance of the Office of Defense Cooperation at the U.S. Embassy in Croatia.
