06.11.2026.
The remediation of illegally dumped waste around the former PPK Velebit in Gospić moves to the next phase. The Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund has started the examination and evaluation of bids for the removal of bulk hazardous waste, while a negotiated public procurement procedure has been launched for the remediation of buried waste, with an estimated value of EUR 36 million net of VAT.At a regular coordination meeting in Gospić, the director of the Fund, Luka Balen, and his colleagues reported on the progress of the remediation to the representatives of Lika-Senj County, the local community, civic initiatives and farmers.
Calls for tenders for the remediation of buried waste were sent to 22 economic operators in Croatia and abroad. In the meantime, the protective covering of buried waste has been completed, and a technical inspection of the completed works was conducted last week.
"Everything we announced at the previous meeting has now been achieved. The buried waste has been successfully covered, the review and evaluation of bids for bulk hazardous waste is underway, and we have initiated a negotiated procedure for buried waste. Our goal is to complete the procurement as soon as possible and continue with the removal of waste," said Balen.
He also announced that the remaining bulky and other waste will be removed from the location, such as several abandoned cars and waste tyres to allow unobstructed access to trucks and prepare the site for the next remediation works.
Lika-Senj County Prefect Ernest Petry emphasised that continuous measurements of air quality in the Gospić area do not show exceedances of permissible values, and the tests so far confirm the health safety of drinking water. He reiterated that, in his words, the air quality was comparable to that on Zavižan. He also pointed out that farmers in Gospić area were now suffering reputational damage and economic losses resulting from the illegal acts of individuals. For this reason, the county has established a working commission for reputational damage and is also considering the possibility of supporting local farmers through the county budget and complementary activities.
The representative of beekeepers, Alen Zorić, spoke about the challenges faced by farmers, who welcomed the regular communication with the Fund and the possibility of direct exchange of information. He warned that the negative perception of the area makes it difficult to place domestic products on the market and underlined the importance of restoring customer trust.
At the meeting, investment opportunities in renewable energy sources were also presented through a public call from the Modernisation Fund worth 30 million euros. The call is focused on investments in PV power plants and battery energy storage systems, and it is intended for projects in the agricultural sector and the processing of agricultural products. Given the large number of family farms in this area, some of them will find this information useful for planning future investments.
The director of the Fund announced that coordination meetings will continue to be held in Gospić every two weeks, with the involvement of representatives of other competent institutions and line ministries, according to topics of interest to the local community.
