Citizens of Gospić to confront government over waste, lithium plant; threaten highway blockade

A citizens' initiative in Gospić, Croatia, is escalating its protest against the government, demanding urgent action on hazardous waste and a controversial lithium processing plant. The group, "Gospić je naš dom" (Gospić is Our Home), has threatened to block major transport routes, including the highway to the coast, if their demands are not met.

The core issues are over 45,000 tons of hazardous waste illegally buried at the former PPK Velebit silo and the construction of a lithium processing plant in Smiljansko Polje, which they claim lacks an environmental impact study. The initiative has formally requested a meeting with the government, emphasizing their need for concrete answers and timelines.

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We are coming to the meeting with good intentions, because we requested it. But we are coming for answers, not for photographs. The measure of success of this meeting will not be that it was held, but whether the citizens of Lika will receive concrete answers and deadlines for all three demands.

During the upcoming meeting, scheduled for July 28 in Zagreb, the citizens expect to discuss their demands for a complete disclosure of soil and water analyses, the remediation of all waste in Gospić using an expedited model, and the cancellation of the construction permit for the lithium plant pending a mandatory environmental impact assessment. They stress that the success of the meeting will be measured by the government's provision of tangible solutions, not by the mere fact that a meeting occurred.

If the meeting fails to yield satisfactory results, the initiative plans to pursue legal avenues through domestic and European bodies, alongside their threatened road blockades. Government officials, including the Deputy Prime Minister and ministers for spatial planning, construction, state property, and environmental protection, are expected to attend, along with local authorities and representatives from relevant institutes and public health bodies.

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In case the meeting does not result in concrete answers, the initiative remains committed to all previously announced steps, including legal remedies before domestic and European bodies, but also blocking the busiest roads, including the highway to the sea.