BUZ President Milivoj Špika strongly reacted to the case of 37,000 tons of illegally dumped waste, calling it an ecological catastrophe. He expects a reaction from President Milanović and an 'honorable move' from the Prime Minister.
Milivoj Špika, president of the Block of Pensioners Together (BUZ), demanded on Sunday, August 10, the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. The trigger is the affair involving illegally dumped hazardous waste in Gospić, which Špika claims has escalated into a matter of national security.
"Based on the information reaching the public, it is increasingly clear that what happened in Gospić is not a mere case of improper waste disposal, but an ecological catastrophe of terrifying proportions that bears the hallmarks of terrorism against people, nature, and Croatia's very future," Špika stated in a press release.
Špika particularly highlighted the absurdity of the situation by comparing it to other types of inspections. He wondered how it is possible that state institutions seize a thousand illegal prosciuttos and fine the owner, yet fail to notice the thousands of trucks that had been bringing waste to Gospić for years.
"Who in their right mind can believe that such a quantity of waste could disappear underground without anyone seeing, knowing, or suspecting anything?" he asked. "37,000 tons doesn't arrive by itself, doesn't drive itself, doesn't unload itself, and ultimately doesn't bury itself."
The BUZ president believes that responsibility must be established at all levels, from local self-government and inspections to the relevant ministry and the government itself. He asserted that if the system has failed multiple times and in multiple locations, it is no longer a matter of oversight but possibly corruption as the cause.
"If it is established that individuals from politics or state institutions knew, helped, or deliberately failed to act, their responsibility must be equal to that of any other participant," he declared. He emphasized that these are his political claims, while criminal responsibility is determined by judicial bodies.
Špika directly called on Prime Minister Plenković to take political responsibility for the system he manages. "If the Prime Minister is not capable of ensuring the functioning of the state, its institutions, and oversight, then the only honorable move is an immediate and unconditional resignation," he said.
Moreover, given that he considers the case a matter of national security, he also expects a reaction from President Zoran Milanović. "Croatia is no one's prey and will not be," Špika concluded.
Prime Minister Plenković did not directly respond to Špika's accusations, but the day before, on Saturday, August 9, he commented on the Gospić case on his Twitter profile. He stressed that all those responsible for the waste dumping in Gospić and Lika must be held accountable and that the competent authorities are dealing with it.
"The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition and the Environmental Protection Fund have the task of remediating this waste, but it must be done through a lawful and transparent procedure," Plenković wrote, drawing a parallel with the successfully resolved case of baled waste in Varaždin.
On the same day, the Prime Minister also delivered economic news to citizens. He announced a change in methodology whereby the government will react to fuel price movements on a weekly basis instead of biweekly. Starting Sunday morning, prices will be lower for all five energy products: Eurosuper by 6 euro cents per liter, Eurodiesel by 4, blue diesel by 3, and gas in tanks and bottles by 8 euro cents.
Plenković ended the day at the 311th Sinjska Alka, where he participated with the leadership of the Knightly Alka Society and a multitude of visitors in celebrating the over 300-year-old tradition of the Cetina region.
