Milanović convenes extraordinary parliamentary session after contentious Gospić meeting

Croatian President Zoran Milanović is set to convene an extraordinary session of the Croatian Parliament, responding to mounting pressure over the illegal dumping of waste in Gospić. The move comes after a heated committee meeting on environmental protection, which was disrupted by the departure of representatives from a citizens' initiative.

The committee session in Gospić was marked by a stormy debate. Representatives of the citizens' initiative left after being denied the opportunity to ask questions at the outset. The committee chair, Dušica Radojčić, subsequently suspended the meeting, stating it had lost its purpose following the citizens' exit. She noted that the majority party, HDZ, had even proposed barring citizens from asking questions altogether.

According to the Parliament's rules of procedure, the Speaker of Parliament, Gordan Jandroković, must call the extraordinary session within eight days of receiving the President's request. Left-wing opposition parties and the President's office had previously urged Milanović to use his constitutional powers to address the critical issue of illegal hazardous waste disposal. This is not the first time an extraordinary session has been called at President Milanović's request; a similar instance occurred three years prior concerning judicial functioning and a scandal involving the national energy company HEP.