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

(Patria) - Center for Environment (Center) has filed a lawsuit against the decision of the Government of Republika Srpska (Government) to grant a concession for coal exploration in the "Devetaci" deposit near Novi Grad. The decision on the selection of the most favorable bidder was made by the Government at its session on February 6, 2026, accepting the unsolicited offer of the investor "Kubik-Trans-Niskogradnja" d.o.o. from Laktaši.

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

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

We remind you that the acceptance of unsolicited offers regarding coal concessions in the Medna, Bistrica, and Bukova kosa deposits, about which we have written several times, has 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 highlighting the harmful consequences of the project on Bukova kosa was visited last year by the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of human rights defenders, Ms. Marry Lawlor.

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

"The expectation that authorities will act in the public interest is, under the circumstances, unfortunately impossible, as they have repeatedly sent a different message to the public, especially to the residents of the affected communities. Therefore, reviewing the legality of granting concessions has become a matter of fundamental importance for the protection of procedural and substantive human rights in general, both concerning the right to a healthy environment, as well as the right to property, private and family life, and even the right to life. As 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," stated Redžib Skomorac, senior legal advisor at the Center.

We remind you that this concession was not included in the plans that the National Assembly of RS was supposed to adopt, which is actually the basic condition for unsolicited offers to be considered at all. On the other hand, the right of citizens to be included and consulted before a concession is granted has not been respected, even though international agreements such as the Aarhus Convention and domestic laws also require it. Precisely because of this, upon the Center's report, the Compliance Committee of the Aarhus Convention in Geneva agreed 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 from the affected community have also personally filed lawsuits against this way of disposing of public goods. They found the need to do so in protecting the existing potentials of the area, as well as their direct personal interest as farmers whose properties are located near the planned mine site.

"I offered legal assistance to the residents of Devetaci who are directly threatened by the planned exploration, and potentially by coal exploitation in this location, 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 who expressed their opposition to this intention and disappointment with the local community's stance on this issue, about which they, as residents, were not asked anything, nor did they have the opportunity to express their opinion, except through this lawsuit," said Aleksandar Janković, lawyer and attorney for the plaintiffs.

“It is unacceptable that someone's fate is 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 a healthy environment for future generations, not a wasteland, as can be seen in the examples of Medna, Bistrica, and Bukova Kosa,” said Dragan Ostić, program assistant for Energy and Climate Change at the Center.