A Bosnian lawmaker asked on Tuesday the new head of the European Commission to speak out against Croatia’s intention to dump nuclear waste at its border to Bosnia
In an open letter to the new President of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen, House of Representatives lawmaker Sasa Magazinovic raised the issue of Trgovska Gora, a place close to Bosnia’s northern border where, according to reports, Croatia intends to dump waste from the nuclear plant Krsko, which it shares with Slovenia.
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Croatia has to take care of half of the waste from that plant by 2023 and adopted a strategy according to which it named the unused Cerkezovac barracks, in Trgovska Gora, as one of seven most likely locations for dumping it.
But Trgovska Gora is only 800 metres away from the border with Bosnia and about a kilometre away from the town of Bosanski Novi.
Magazinovic reminded the EC President that she presented her plan for Europe a few weeks ago which says, among other things, that generations “of our children want to live in a well-preserved and healthy environment.”
“The Republic of Slovenia will store its nuclear and radioactive waste for Krsko where it was produced, while the Republic of Croatia has the intention to store its waste in Trgovska Gora which, apart from being at the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, does also not meet a number of other conditions,” Magazinovic wrote.
“I was very happy when you, in your plan, mentioned Europe’s children, their future and in that context a healthy environment. Our children too need to have that same right secured,” he wrote.
“Children of the European Union should not have more rights to health than children outside of EU countries,” he stressed.
“Because of the proximity to Bosnia and its geographic position, the location will have the most negative effect on the population and environment in Bosnia, as well as on the plant and animal life, the river Una and sources of drinking water, it will endanger the ‘Una’ Nature Park, the ‘Una’ National park and disable tourism and the production of healthy food in the entire affected area,” he wrote.
“The actions by the institutions and bodies of the Republic of Croatia until now regarding the choice of the location in Trgovska Gora, are not in accordance with international conventions, directives, agreements and standards which are legally binding for the Republic of Croatia as well,” he pointed out.
Magazinovic called upon Ursula von der Leyen to tend to the issue and familiarise Croatian officials with these facts and the EU rules on storing nuclear waste. He asked her to ask Croatian officials to “read and respect” a series of binding conventions on the matter and avoid ignoring Bosnia and EU norms.
He also wrote that “opposition to the intent of the Republic of Croatia to dump its nuclear and radioactive waste in what is practically our yard, and with that to endanger the lives of nearly 300,000 people, is one of the rarest topics where there is a complete political consensus” in Bosnia.
“I trust that you will in this concrete case show that you advocate for a just Europe which is, apart from everything else, a community of equal citizens,” he concluded.
