The Croatian Parliament has adopted a law under emergency procedure which paves the way for the construction of a radioactive waste disposal center on Trgovska Gora, a location located right next to the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the immediate vicinity of the Una River.
Adoption despite opposition
77 deputies voted for the law, 21 were against, while 36 parliamentarians abstained. The decision was made despite numerous warnings and complaints that have been coming from Bosnia and Herzegovina for years, as well as from part of the professional public.
Trgovska gora is located in a sensitive area along the river Una, which has exceptional ecological and touristic value, and is also an important source of drinking water for a large number of residents on both sides of the border.
Warnings from Bosnia and Herzegovina
Institutions and officials from BiH have been appealing to Croatia for a long time to abandon this intention, warning that the construction and operation of the center could endanger the health of hundreds of thousands of people and lead to soil, groundwater and environmental pollution.
The fact that it is a dangerous area is particularly noteworthy, which further increases the risk of possible contamination.
Despite this, the Croatian authorities have so far submitted requests and warnings to Bosnia and Herzegovina. parties mostly ignored, with the message that the planned landfill will not have a negative impact on the health of the population or the environment.
Open letter and plans until 2028
BiH Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Staša Košarac last week sent an open letter to representatives in the Parliament of the Republic of Croatia, in which he stated that it was, as he pointed out, an illegal entry into the final stage of a political project that has serious cross-border consequences.
According to Croatia’s plans, the nuclear waste storage center should be opened by 2028. The contested location is only a few hundred meters away from houses, schools, agricultural areas and sources of drinking water used by more than 250,000 inhabitants from the municipalities in the Una river basin.
Environmental risks and the Una protected area
In addition to threats to human health, experts warn that the disposal of radioactive waste along BH the border could have long-term and hard-to-repair consequences for the environment. The protected area of the Una River is particularly at risk, whose ecosystem could be damaged in the event of any incident or leakage of dangerous substances.
Due to all of the above, the Trgovska Gora issue remains one of the most sensitive open issues in the relations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, with potential consequences that go far beyond the borders of the two states, writes Focus.
