The company “Ecoplast” owned by the mayor of the municipality of Vlasenica, Miroslav Kraljevic, wants to build a plant for the processing of plastic waste in that place.
Kraljevic, who is accused of war crimes in that town, in the east of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), where, according to the survivors’ association, around 2,800 Bosniaks were killed, plans to build a plant in the area of the former wood industry in Vlasenica.
The plant should deal with chemical-thermal processing of non-hazardous waste plastic, which will be converted into polymer wax by a catalytic process.
This wax, known as “depol 40” can be used as an auxiliary fuel in heating plants and power plants.
However, the project is questioned by the Center for the Environment from Banja Luka. This environmental organization states that plastic, when heated to more than 500 degrees Celsius, produces carcinogenic substances that pollute the air.
They emphasize that these gases affect the respiratory system, the work of the heart, and the appearance of skin diseases and possible problems with fertility.
Therefore, in early January, they filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court of BiH, trying to stop the construction of the plant. In the appeal to the Constitutional Court of BiH, the Center asked to protect the right to health of the residents of Vlasenica.
Potential conflict of interest
In addition to the competent courts, the Center also turned to the Commission for the Prevention of Conflict of Interests of the Republika Srpska (RS), with the initiative to initiate the procedure, given that Kraljevic is both the mayor of Vlasenica and the director of “Ecoplast”.
According to the Law on Prevention of Conflicts of Interest in Government Authorities of the RS, mayors of municipalities cannot be directors of companies that do business with authorities at the local or entity level – if the value of the contract is greater than 30,000 BAM (15,362 euros).
The ministry denies the allegations
The Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction and Ecology of the RS reminds of the decision of the Banja Luka District Court, and that it means that “the claims (of the Center) presented in the lawsuit do not stand which confirmed the decision of this ministry.“, Slobodna Evropa reports.
E.Dz.
