MP from Krajina Šemsudin Dedić asks Council of Ministers and Košarac what they have done to protect the Una River!?

The situation regarding the construction of a mini-hydropower plant at the source of the Una River is escalating. While the competent Croatian authorities are acting indifferently towards the protests of their citizens and the entire problem, the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina are also not particularly interested in stopping the “attack on the Una” as seen by the citizens.

SDA MP in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, Šemsudin Dedić from Krajina, has sent a parliamentary question to the Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations.

“What measures have the Council of Ministers of BiH and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH taken towards the competent bodies and institutions of the Republic of Croatia and the EU to halt the construction of a mini-hydropower plant (mHE) directly below the Source of the Una in the village of Suvaja in the municipality of Gračac in the Republic of Croatia,” Dedić's question states.

In his explanation, Dedić states: “In the village of Donja Suvaja in the municipality of Gračac (Republic of Croatia), the construction of a mini-hydropower plant (mHE) directly below the Source of the Una began in early July. So far, due to non-compliance with regulations in this area, several protest gatherings have been held by the local population, non-governmental organizations, but also citizens from cities and municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina through which the Una River flows. According to available information, a Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment in accordance with the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention) has not been prepared, nor has the Helsinki Convention on Waters, ratified by Bosnia and Herzegovina and EU countries, including the Republic of Croatia, been respected. This convention stipulates national measures and international cooperation in the field of ecological management and protection of transboundary surface and groundwater, as well as other international regulations”.

“The Council of Ministers of BiH and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, as well as other ministries, bodies, and institutions of BiH, in accordance with their competencies, must alert the competent bodies and institutions in the Republic of Croatia to, by applying EU regulations and respecting all international conventions regarding the protection of rivers and the environment, suspend the work on the construction of this mini-hydropower plant, in order to protect the Una River, its watercourse, and the ecosystem which has been declared a National Park in the area of the City of Bihać and the Una-Sana Canton in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Dedić states in the explanation.

The Una River is one of the most beautiful and attractive rivers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, visited by a large number of tourists annually. Due to its ecological and tourist significance, it is necessary to protect the Una, hence greater engagement is needed from state and entity authorities, as well as from Bihać and other cities that generate significant revenue from tourism on the Una.