At its 27th regular session held yesterday, the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) considered the pressing issue of the Republic of Croatia’s intention to dispose of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel at the Trgovska Gora site, in the immediate vicinity of the border with BiH.
The members of the Presidency unanimously adopted a set of conclusions ordering urgent action by all levels of government in order to protect the health of citizens and the territory of BiH.
One of the key conclusions of the session concerns a direct call to the BiH Attorney’s Office. The Presidency requested that this institution actively engage in monitoring the situation and also consider the most radical legal measures.
“The Presidency of BiH calls on the Attorney’s Office to consider undertaking all necessary legal and other measures, including the initiation of an international dispute, arbitration, or other legal proceedings against the Republic of Croatia in connection with the specific case,” the statement said.
It was emphasized that BiH must use all available legal and diplomatic means to prevent potential long-term and irreversible consequences for the environment and the population in the Una River basin.
The Presidency requested that the Council of Ministers of BiH adopt without delay the “Strategy for the Protection of the Legal Interests of BiH,” prepared by the Legal Team. It also ordered the activation of mechanisms provided for under international conventions, particularly the Espoo Convention (on environmental impact assessment in a transboundary context) and the Aarhus Convention.
Specific ministries were also assigned tasks:
The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH was tasked, in cooperation with the entities and local communities, with urgently consolidating expert analyses on the potential consequences of waste disposal.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH must initiate diplomatic action to inform international institutions and the global public about the dangers posed by the Trgovska Gora location.
The Presidency assessed that the active role of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH (PABiH) is also crucial in this process, in order for the state’s response to be unified and to have full democratic legitimacy.
It should be recalled that the Croatian Parliament adopted the Law on the Construction of a Radioactive Waste Disposal Center right on the border with BiH in the Trgovska Gora area.
For years, appeals have been made from BiH to Croatia to abandon this dangerous idea that threatens the health of hundreds of thousands of residents and the pollution of water and the environment. There are also warnings that this is a seismically active area and that there is a high risk of soil and water contamination.
All of this has been ignored by the authorities of the Republic of Croatia, which have decided to dispose of radioactive waste in the area of the Municipality of Dvor, located on the border with BiH.
The issue of Trgovska Gora as a site for radioactive waste disposal has been present since the 1990s, when the idea was first presented to the public, but the authorities in BiH have begun more serious engagement only in the past five years.
According to Croatia’s plans, the nuclear waste storage center should be opened by 2028.
Although Trgovska Gora was in focus, a number of other decisions were also adopted at yesterday’s session of the BiH Presidency.
The Presidency gave the green light to several important infrastructure projects, including grant funds for the construction of a section of Corridor Vc (Medakovo – Poprikuse), as well as water supply projects in Republika Srpska (RS) – investments in the municipalities of Doboj, Gradiska, Prijedor, Trebinje, and others.
In addition, BiH’s membership in the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE) was approved, as well as the launch of the procedure for accession to the Regional Cyber Capacity Center based in Podgorica. A list of candidates for the election of a judge representing BiH at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg was also determined, Klix.ba writes.
