Gospić waste contamination reaches European Parliament

The illegal disposal of hazardous waste in Gospić, Croatia, has escalated into a significant political and legal issue. Following reports of PFAS contamination in groundwater, the citizen initiative ‘Gospić je naš dom’ has secured an urgent procedure in the European Parliament. This allows representatives from the region to present details of the contamination directly to MEPs and the European Commission as early as this autumn.

In the European Parliament, MEP Gordan Bosanac of the Možemo party successfully advocated for this fast-track procedure, despite opposition from the European People's Party. A plenary debate regarding the protection of human health against toxic substances is scheduled for next week.

Domestically, the political party Most has launched a movement to amend the Croatian Constitution, aiming to establish the right to clean and potable water as a fundamental human right. The party argues that current laws are insufficient to protect water resources as a public good, citing the Lika region contamination as evidence of the need for constitutional safeguards.

Meanwhile, the Croatian government, led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, has moved to address the visible waste at the PPK Velebit site in Gospić. The government decided to bypass previous public procurement processes to urgently remove non-hazardous waste using two domestic cement plants, valued at up to 357,500 euros. Officials maintain that there is currently no threat to the public drinking water supply.