Center for Environment and locals against new coal mine in Devetaci near Novi Grad in RS

(Patria) - The Center for Environment (Center) has filed a lawsuit against the decision of the Government of Republika Srpska (Government) awarding a concession for coal exploration at the “Devetaci” deposit near Novi Grad. The Government adopted the decision on the selection of the most favorable bidder at its session on February 6, 2026, thereby accepting the unsolicited proposal of the investor “Kubik-Trans-Niskogradnja” d.o.o. from Laktasi.

The Government's decision is the first step towards granting a concession for coal exploitation, which can be expected soon, as the deadline for the exploration phase of this area is only one year, and the area has already been explored previously.

Given previous experiences with coal exploration, abuse of permits, and the lack of adequate institutional response, the locals of this area and the wider public are justifiably concerned.

We recall, the acceptance of unsolicited proposals for coal concessions at the Medna, Bistrica, and Bukova Kosa deposits, which we have written about several times, resulted in numerous irregularities and human rights violations, for which court proceedings are still ongoing.

Due to systemic human rights violations and environmental damage, the citizens' initiative that pointed out the harmful consequences of the project at Bukova Kosa was visited last year by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Ms. Mary Lawlor.

In her Report on the visit to BiH, presented before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, explicit recommendations were given to the authorities in Republika Srpska to urgently address the implications of such projects.

“The expectation that the authorities act in the public interest is, under the given circumstances, unfortunately impossible, as they have repeatedly sent a different message to the public, especially to the residents of affected communities. Therefore, reviewing the legality of concession awards has become a matter of fundamental importance for the protection of procedural and substantive human rights in general, both in relation to the right to a healthy environment and the right to property, private and family life, and even the right to life. Since the protection of these rights is a positive obligation of the state, through the right to legal protection and broad access to justice, we are trying to ensure institutional protection and a review of the decision-making pattern that carries far-reaching consequences,” pointed out Redzib Skomorac, senior legal advisor at the Center.

We recall, this concession was not in the plans that were supposed to be adopted by the National Assembly of RS, which is actually the basic condition for private proposals to be considered at all. On the other hand, the right of citizens to be involved and asked for their opinion before proceeding with the concession award was not respected, even though this is required by international agreements such as the Aarhus Convention and domestic laws. Precisely because of this, upon the Center's complaint, the Compliance Committee of the Aarhus Convention in Geneva accepted to review BiH's compliance with the standards of this Convention.

Incidentally, in addition to the Center's lawsuit, with the help of lawyers, locals of the affected community have also personally filed lawsuits against this manner of disposing of public goods. They found the need for this in protecting the existing potential of the area, as well as their direct personal interest as farmers whose properties are located near the site planned for the mine.

“I offered legal assistance to the residents of Devetaci who are directly threatened by the planned exploration, and potentially exploitation, of coal at this site, which is characterized by beautiful nature, clean air, fields and pastures that mean life to the people who cultivate the land, produce milk and dairy products, feed livestock... Two residents contacted me, expressing their opposition to this intention and disappointment with the local community's stance on this issue, about which they, as locals, were not asked anything nor had the opportunity to state their opinion, except through this lawsuit,” stated Aleksandar Jankovic, attorney and legal representative of the plaintiffs.

“It is unacceptable for someone's fate to be decided behind closed doors, while the voice of the people who live off this land is completely ignored. The fight against this concession is not just a legal issue, but a fight for the right to leave future generations a healthy nature, not desolation, as can be seen in the examples of Medna, Bistrica, and Bukova Kosa,” said Dragan Ostic, assistant on the Energy and Climate Change program at the Center.