BiH Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Staša Košarac organized today in Sarajevo a meeting of the Coordination Body for the disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel on Trgovska Gora.
The meeting was attended by the Minister for Spatial Planning, Construction and Ecology of the Republika Srpska Bojan Vipotnik, representatives of the Ministry of Tourism and Environment of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and members of the Expert and Legal Team for Trgovska Gora.
The interlocutors exchanged opinions on the implementation of the Action Plan for the implementation of geological, hydrological and seismological research on the territory of the RS and the activities that the FBiH implements in this regard. It was pointed out that the institutions of Republika Srpska adequately act according to the defined agenda of the Expert Team, and that the necessary research is being prepared.
It was agreed to request information from Slovenia on the characterization of the waste from the Krško Nuclear Power Plant, given the fact that Croatia did not want to provide it to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Košarac informed the interlocutors that at the recently held joint session of the Council of Ministers of BiH and the Government of Croatia in Zagreb, the Croatian side did not want to accept the proposed conclusion on the formation of a joint working body whose role would be to exchange the necessary information and documentation.
In this regard, the joint conclusion is that the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH submits the proposed conclusions to the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction and Ecology of the Republic of Srpska, which, as a contact point, will renew the request with meetings with representatives of the Secretariat of the ESPOO Convention.
It was concluded that it is necessary to point out again the fact that Croatia grossly violated this international convention, because it refused to form a joint working body and exchange information.
It was pointed out the need for BiH to hire an international office for legal advice in the cross-border process of assessing the impact of the landfill on Trgovska Gora on the environment, citing the fact that the Republic of Croatia has already acted in a similar way.
It was agreed that the Legal Team will submit a concrete proposal to the Coordination Body in the next 15 days or so, after which it will be sent to the competent institutions for consideration and adoption, given the fact that it will be necessary to provide additional financial resources for the engagement of the international office.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH is tasked with compiling a list of diplomatic and consular representations of BiH, which will actively and in contacts with international officials clearly represent the unique position of institutions at all levels of government in BiH on the unacceptability of the construction of the disputed landfill on Trgovska Gora.
Minister Košarac emphasized that he previously discussed this topic with the newly appointed head of the BiH Mission to the EU, as well as with the head of the EU Delegation to BiH.
The participants of the meeting agreed on the implementation of the following activities, with a focus on the preparation of an adequate study on possible socio-economic and social disturbances due to the construction of the disputed landfill.
The common assessment is that it is necessary to include representatives of the academic community and universities in RS and FBiH in this activity. It was emphasized that, in addition to the Coordinating Body, the Expert and Legal Team, this will be an additional pillar in the fight against the construction of the disputed landfill.
Minister Košarac expressed his special gratitude to the representatives of civil society and the non-governmental sector, who are contributing to the activities of competent institutions in preventing Croatia’s intention to build a disputed landfill in the immediate vicinity of the border.
It has been agreed that a joint visit to one of the potentially endangered municipalities in BiH will be organized at the beginning of August, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH announced.
