BiH Still Lacks Official Response: Trgovska Gora and Threat to 300,000 People

SARAJevo, (Patria) - Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH Staša Košarac (SNSD) will hold a working meeting regarding Croatia's announcement to build a disposal site for nuclear and radioactive waste at the Trgovska Gora location.

We remind you that after the failure of negotiations between the Croatian and Slovenian delegations, the neglected Čerkezovac barracks at Trgovska Gora, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, has become Croatia's number 1 location for radioactive waste disposal.

This is clear as day, especially after the response from the Fund for Financing the Decommissioning and Disposal of Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel from the Krško Nuclear Power Plant, in which they stated that the agreement with Slovenia failed because it is not a long-term solution for Croatia due to institutional waste.

In Croatia, all activities are directed towards establishing a Radioactive Waste Management Centre in Croatia. Bosnia and Herzegovina's response is awaited, given that Trgovska Gora is near the municipality of Novi Grad, which would directly endanger about 300,000 people.

The mayor of Novi Grad, Miroslav Drljača, previously announced today's meeting where solutions to the Trgovska Gora problem will be discussed. 

We remind you that at one of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska (NSRS) sessions, convened last year by Milorad Dodik, MPs supported the stance that the construction of the Pelješac Bridge is a vital national interest, with a promise that Dodik would insist on resolving open issues with Croatia, such as the Trgovska Gora case.

As can be seen from the attached information, almost nothing of what was announced has been done. If radioactive waste were to be deposited at Trgovska Gora from 2023 onwards, due to the terrain configuration, two-thirds of the negative impact would be directed towards BiH, and only one-third towards Croatia.