The District Court in Banja Luka has ruled in favour of the "Resource Aarhus Center in BiH" Association from Sarajevo, annulling the decision made by the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction, and Ecology of Republika Srpska (RS) entity. The contested decision had approved the construction of infrastructure for the Dabar hydropower plant on the Zalomka River, part of the Upper Horizons (Gornji Horizonti) project. The Aarhus Center, along with the Center for the Environment from Banja Luka, appealed against this decision.

In its ruling dated August 5, the Court accepted the claim by the Aarhus Center in BiH but rejected the claim by the Center for the Environment. The Court reasoned that the Center for the Environment did not demonstrate sufficient legal interest to participate in the procedure, despite being an ecological association dedicated to promoting environmental protection in BiH. The Aarhus Center highlighted this ruling as a significant step in protecting the rivers of Herzegovina.

The Dabar hydropower plant is part of the Upper Horizons project, which aims to divert water from rivers including Zalomka, Buna, Bunica, Bregava, and Neretva. Environmental groups warn that this project could cause irreparable ecological damage and threaten the rivers’ ecosystems.

The Aarhus Center pointed out various legal and procedural flaws during the trial, including the improper application of laws related to spatial planning, environmental protection, and water management in the RS. They also emphasized that international environmental standards were ignored, as the Upper Horizons project violates the Espoo, Berne, and Ramsar Conventions, which focus on environmental preservation and habitat protection.