28.07.2026.
Activities taken so far and further steps regarding remediation of waste illegally dumped at the former PPK Velebit in Gospić was the topic of discussion at the meeting held between the Deputy Prime Minister and minister of physical planning, construction and stat assets, Branko Bačić, the minister of environmental protection and green transition, Marija Vučković, the director of the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund, Luka Balen, the director of the J.J. Strossmayer Water Institute, Mario Šiljeg, representatives of the State Inspectorate, Andrija Štampar Teaching Public Health Institute, and representatives of the “Gospić je naš dom - Gospić is out home” initiative.At the meeting, the status of individual phases of remediation was discussed, and it was agreed that the Fund, in addition to the analyses it already published, would also publish other analyses received from other state bodies. It was also pointed out that an inquiry will be sent to the State Attorney's Office of the Republic of Croatia about the possibility of publishing the results of soil and water expertise conducted as part of the criminal proceedings.
"There are no two sides here. On the contrary, it is in everyone's interest that hazardous and non-hazardous waste is disposed of as soon as possible, that the soil is remediated and that the entire area where the waste was disposed of is rehabilitated and arranged in compliance with the law", said Deputy Prime Minister Branko Bačić.
Minister of environmental protection and green transition Marija Vučković pointed out that the remediation of the site was being carried out through several parallel activities. For bulk waste next to the silo, after additional analyses showed an increased share of chlorine in part of the waste, a new public procurement procedure was initiated, while there is a separate procedure for the removal and disposal of waste contained in "big bag" sacs in the open, and at the same time, a technical solution for the most complex part of the remediation is being worked on.
“My task is to do everything to ensure that the remediation runs as quickly as possible and I absolutely believe that we will reach the point where everything at the location will be clean," concluded minister Vučković.
The most demanding part of the remediation relates to the waste that is located below the soil surface. "The Fund has announced public procurement procedures for the removal of bulk waste next to the silo and waste in "big bag" sacs, and the opening of bids is expected in August. At the same time, we are working on a solution for buried waste, we are talking about approximately 35,000 tonnes of waste of different composition, mixed with soil, sand and rubble. We are currently conducting market research in which we are also examining the possibilities of disposing of this waste in one of the hazardous waste landfills abroad. Our goal is to define a technical solution as soon as possible and initiate the necessary procedures," said the director of the Fund Balen.
It was agreed to hold a joint meeting again by 20 September, at which the activities carried out so far will be presented to representatives of the citizens' initiative, as well as further steps and possible solutions for the continuation of the remediation.
After the meeting, the representative of the citizens' initiative "Gospić is our home" Vjeko Bušić said that representatives of the initiative were in principle satisfied with the discussion and the progress made, especially with the agreement on making analyses available and the continuation of direct communication on remediation.
“We can see there are certain promises and we have tried to act institutionally from the beginning. We have come here to talk to the institutions, and I hope that this procedure will unfold as quickly as possible, in the interest of everyone," Bušić said.
