Government must shorten public procurement to prevent pollution from spreading through waters

Hazardous waste illegally dumped near an industrial complex in Gospić, Croatia, has contaminated the soil, disrupted the ecosystem, and poses a significant risk of spreading pollution through groundwater if not urgently remediated. A geological survey by the Faculty of Geology, released by the State Attorney's Office (DORH), confirms the extent of the contamination.

Despite the environmental urgency, the Croatian government's plan to address the cleanup through the standard public procurement process is drawing criticism. Prime Minister Andrej Plenković announced that the remediation would follow usual procedures, which for high-value procurements in Croatia often exceed six months. This is largely due to potential challenges and appeals from bidders when large sums of money are involved, with estimates for this cleanup potentially reaching up to 125 million euros.

The process itself requires several months before a tender can even be issued. The Environmental Protection Fund must first develop an expert assessment of the best remediation model, which then needs approval from the Fund's Management Board. Following this, the plan will be presented to the public in Lika, and the government will ultimately make the final decision due to the high cost. The tender is expected to be announced around October.

"This is too much money for someone to contract directly with one single company or in some other way outside the usual procedures," the prime minister stated, assuring that authorities have the situation under control. However, this situation echoes the government's difficulties following devastating earthquakes in Zagreb and Banovina. At that time, the prime minister also resisted easing public procurement rules, leading to slow reconstruction efforts. The situation only improved when Branko Bačić took over the Ministry of Construction, simplifying procedures and shortening deadlines. A similar decisive approach is not yet evident for the Gospić pollution crisis, although the responsibility has largely fallen on the government following the state attorney's decision to release the geological survey findings.

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This is too much money for someone to contract directly with one single company or in some other way outside the usual procedures.