SCIENTIFIC PAPER ON TRGOVSKA GORA PUBLISHED

NOVI GRAD, SEPTEMBER 25 /SRNA/ - A scientific paper on Trgovska Gora, where a nuclear waste disposal facility is planned, has been published in the international scientific journal Sustainability.

The paper, which examines the prospects of environmental justice, was published under the title Perceived Environmental Injustice in a Transboundary Radioactive Waste Siting Dispute: Implications for Social Sustainability in Border Communities of Bosnia and Herzegovina and was published by the University of Banja Luka.

This new study places residents of communities located outside the country where formal decisions on the planned facility are made at the centre of its analysis.

A total of 82.3 per cent of respondents agreed that it is not fair to plan a radioactive waste storage facility near the border with BiH.

As many as 83.9 per cent of respondents support the formal right of residents of local communities in the border areas of BiH to participate in decision-making, while the same percentage believe that their views should be taken into account regardless of the border.

At the same time, 80.2 per cent of respondents described the site selection process as non-transparent and exclusionary towards potentially affected communities.

It is one of the first systematic empirical studies focusing on the perceptions of residents of local communities considered potentially affected by the planned long-term storage facility for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste.

The authors are Velibor Lalić of the Faculty of Security Sciences at the University of Banja Luka, Armin Kržalić of the Faculty of Criminal Justice, Criminology and Security Studies at the University of Sarajevo, Vladimir M. Cvetković of the Faculty of Security Studies at the University of Belgrade and the Technical University of Leoben, Milan Lipovac of the Faculty of Security Studies at the University of Belgrade, and Mario Crnković of the Green Team organization from Novi Grad.

The significance of the paper lies in its examination of an aspect of the Trgovska Gora case that has so far received insufficient attention in the scientific literature.

A nuclear waste storage facility is planned at the Čerkezovac site in Croatia, on Trgovska Gora, in the immediate vicinity of the Una River, the natural border between Croatia and Republika Srpska, that is, BiH.

The authors based their research on the distribution of potential risks and benefits, participation and the ability to influence decision-making, as well as the institutional consideration of the interests and position of potentially affected communities.

The results show clearly pronounced perceptions of injustice across all three dimensions of environmental justice analyzed.

The scientific significance of the paper extends beyond the local context of the Trgovska Gora case and connects it to the broader debate on environmental justice, the governance of transboundary risks, public participation, and the legitimacy of decision-making processes.

The distinctive feature of the case is that formal decision-making authority rests with one country, while some geographically proximate communities that may be affected are located in another country and fall outside the administrative system of the country making the decisions.

It is precisely this perspective that the authors identify as one of the key theoretical contributions of the study, as it raises the question of how the principles of fairness, participation, and institutional recognition apply when the area of formal decision-making does not coincide with the area where potential impacts may occur.

Based on the findings, the authors highlight the importance of transparent cross-border participation, access to the criteria used for site selection, independent scientific review, continuous monitoring of environmental and health conditions, and the meaningful involvement of potentially affected local communities and civil society organizations.

In this way, the Trgovska Gora case is given a clearer place in the international scientific debate on transboundary environmental justice, public participation, institutional recognition, and social sustainability.