An emergency session of the Parliamentary Committee on Environmental Protection in Gospić turned into a heated political debate over responsibility for the environmental disaster, while the opposition demands an emergency session of Parliament and the dismissal of the Government.
The Parliamentary Committee on Environmental Protection and Nature held an emergency session on Monday, August 17, 2026, at 4:00 PM in Gospić regarding the case of the hazardous waste landfill at the site of the former PPK Velebit. Marija Vučković, Minister of Environmental Protection and Green Transition, Irena Hrstić, Minister of Health, and Ivan Turudić, Chief State Attorney, were invited to the meeting, with three items on the agenda.
The first item was a report from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition and the Ministry of Health on the activities undertaken, the risks to the environment and human health, and the planned type of remediation. The second item concerned a proposal for a public hearing with Minister Vučković, Luka Balen, Director of the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund, Minister Hrstić, Ivan Samac, Deputy Chief State Inspector, Ernest Petry, Prefect of Lika-Senj County, Darko Milinović, Mayor of Gospić, and other competent institutions. The third item was a proposal for amendments to the Criminal Code that would introduce ecocide as the most serious crime against the environment, proposed by MP Marija Selak Raspudić.
Marija Selak Raspudić stated that the goal of the session is to pressure the Government to take concrete measures regarding the remediation of ecotoxic waste in Gospić. "We want to pressure the Government to take concrete measures regarding the remediation of ecotoxic waste in Gospić. I believe that is the first and fundamental reason we are here today. This is not just our political bickering, as often happens, but precisely the remediation of that waste. That is why we believe an emergency session of the Croatian Parliament is necessary," said Selak Raspudić.
She criticized the reaction of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, saying he considered it more important to highlight his Government's successes and focus on the tourist season than this issue. "We have had reactions from the Government of the Republic of Croatia. The Prime Minister considered it more important to highlight his Government's successes and focus on the tourist season than this issue. The minister who is here with us today explained to the Croatian public that there is no urgency to act, that is, there is no way to act urgently in this situation," she stated.
She also referred to reports from the Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Zagreb, which warn that the danger increases over time and with the lack of urgent remediation. "I will not go into political assessment here, but I will point to the reports from the Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering that were provided to us. They warn that this problem is dangerous and that its danger increases over time and with the lack of urgent remediation," she emphasized.
MP Marin Miletić spoke about the deadly cocktail containing cyanides, heavy metals, flakes, PCB oil, and more, and compared the situation to Germany's Mittelbaden. "They present the remediation of this poison, this deadly poison. It is a deadly cocktail containing cyanides, heavy metals, flakes, PCB oil, and more. And then the crew from the political caste again says it will be remediated, that it will pass quickly, and that we will sort it all out. Gentlemen, in Mittelbaden, Germany, they had PFAS leakage for 14 years, weaker than ours. We have a cocktail, a deadly cocktail. They have spent 45 million euros so far. One Germany. Where is that, where have we remained technologically?" asked Miletić.
He added that the people have the right to truth, remediation, and for the Chief State Attorney to do his job, and that all those responsible in the chain should answer according to their position.
Mayor of Gospić Darko Milinović emphasized that one sample alone cannot be sufficient for a final conclusion and announced broader sampling. "That one sample can never be proof that everything is fine, but we are coordinating activities with the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) and the Ministry of Agriculture. We will conduct broader sampling of all citizens who have gardens near the waste, as well as family farms in the vicinity. We will, of course, inform the wider public of the results," said Milinović.
Krunoslav Capak, representative of the HZJZ, spoke about the proposal to employ additional pediatric staff in the area. "This is a sparsely populated area, with not many inhabitants. The demographic situation and the size of the area certainly require the employment of a pediatric team," said Capak. He also emphasized that young doctors rarely decide to specialize in pediatrics after completing medical studies, and that this is not only a challenge for this county but also for many other parts of Croatia.
Opposition representatives used the session for fierce criticism of the ruling party. Hajdaš Dončić said they used bribery and made Croatia a suffering country. "They used bribery and made Croatia a suffering country. Nothing is sacred, not water, not people, not forests... Everything only for profit and all in the interest of one political party, called HDZ. We are aware that the opposition does not have 76 hands and cannot convene an emergency session of Parliament, which is why we are addressing President Milanović to do it," said Hajdaš Dončić.
Sandra Benčić demanded remediation in Gospić, but also in the rest of Croatia, from Benkovac, Slavonia, and Istria, and the resignation of the Government. "Today we gathered here and signed a set of demands whose primary goal is remediation. Remediation of this in Gospić, but also in the rest of Croatia. From Benkovac, Slavonia, Istria... We want remediation to happen immediately. That is why we need an emergency session of Parliament. That is why we need a budget rebalance and a political decision to protect groundwater. This is a set of demands that the Government must be forced to meet. The second set of demands is the resignation of this Government, which created a system that enabled such criminal acts throughout the country," stated Benčić.
Marijana Puljak compared the situation to the series The Sopranos. "Here in Croatia, we are living through The Sopranos. The mafia manages waste and makes a fortune from it because they bribe inspections to turn a blind eye. We have Sopranos at play in Croatia. At the head of the Government, we have a braggart who boasts, and one of the most important achievements is waste management. To this day, he has not done that. When asked about this problem in Gospić, he boasts about the tourist season. Gospić is not the only black spot; there are countless such spots across Croatia. The only sanitary measure is the dismissal of HDZ from power," said Puljak.
Dalija Orešković addressed voters in Lika. "Everything we will hear today in Gospić, Andrej Plenković will say he has 76 hands and that his majority is stable. But here on these banners, the real message for HDZ is written. Let HDZ hear these whistles; Lika was their fortress, but it will never be again. Listen to how everyone whistles at Plenković and HDZ. Is there a greater treason than betraying your own people like this? That is why Croatia has only one option: either we will be poisoned by HDZ's poison, or we will cease to exist," said Orešković.
President of the Parliamentary Committee Dušica Radojčić from the Možemo! party demanded answers to key questions. "Will there be population monitoring so people can sleep peacefully? Today there will be seven reporters, which may take a while. After every two reporters, there will be replies. The second item is important, the proposal for a public hearing. Today's session falls under the regular session of the Environmental Protection Committee, and the other option is a public hearing. That is a much stronger tool of democratic oversight by Parliament over the executive branch. I expect the committee majority not to agree to that under the excuse that we heard everything at the Committee today. How is it possible that 600 trucks crossed the border without anyone looking into even one? How is it possible that all the services that were supposed to supervise did not act?" asked Radojčić.
She added that a public hearing would serve to determine who is responsible and that Croatia has become an Eldorado for those who want to quickly get rid of hazardous waste. "A public hearing would serve to determine who is responsible. I hope for a constructive discussion and that we do not stray too much from the topic. The most important thing is to determine how such a failure occurred; it seems Croatia has become an Eldorado for those who want to quickly get rid of hazardous waste. The damage is remediated at our expense; someone must be responsible for that," stated Radojčić.
President of Most Nikola Grmoja made serious accusations at a press conference at Stjepan Radić Square. "Šincek could not have done this alone, without support from the highest level. I have documents confirming that HBOR sold this silo and the associated buildings to Šincek, and that immediately after the purchase of the property, where he planned to dispose of hazardous waste, he received a loan of over one million euros thanks to those properties. He bought those properties for a paltry 220 thousand euros," said Grmoja.
He added that the state is behind it all and that hazardous waste could not have crossed the border without the knowledge of the state and the intelligence service. "The state is behind it all, because how is it possible that HBOR sells you land and does not ask what you will do with it? We demand answers to all questions. Hazardous waste could not have crossed the border without anyone noticing and without the knowledge of the state. It is impossible that the intelligence service did not notice. It must have happened that local initiatives raised the alarm," said Grmoja.
Members of citizen initiatives left the Committee session, and one of them said that there was bickering between the ruling party and the opposition, and that citizens were denied participation. "There was bickering between the ruling party and the opposition, citizens were denied participation, we did not ask a single question, nothing was done, so we left this farce. See you in Zagreb, I invite you all, we will announce the date very soon," said a representative of the citizen initiative.
Antun Zdunić, founder of the initiative 'Gospić Without Poison', warned that the entire area of Rakitovac was excluded from investigative actions and that it will be too late when the cocktail of hazardous substances is identified in the water supply distribution system. "The entire area of Rakitovac was excluded from investigative actions, and that is essential for solving this problem," said Zdunić. "When the cocktail of hazardous substances is identified in the water supply distribution system, it will be too late," he added.
Protesters in front of the Cultural and Information Center in Gospić also expressed concern. "That should be the only priority, and immediately," said Žarko from Gospić, while Morana from Zagreb, who owns a weekend house in Lika, added: "This is a problem for the whole of Croatia. Everything goes underground, and water is unpredictable."
Recall that on August 6, 2026, USKOK published the findings and opinion of an environmental expert for the location of the industrial complex in Gospić, Bilajska 50. According to the data, at the site of the former PPK Velebit, there are a total of 37,000 tons of waste, of which 33,000 tons are buried waste. If the proposal is adopted, public hearings will be held on Tuesday, August 18, also in Gospić.
