VIPOTNIK: TRGOVSKA GORA WILL BE CHALLENGED WITH ARGUMENTS

NOVI GRAD, APRIL 9 /SRNA/ – The Minister of Spatial Planning, Construction and Ecology of Republika Srpska Bojan Vipotnik has said today that the Trgovska Gora site chosen by Croatia for the construction of a radioactive waste storage facility will be challenged with solid arguments.

Vipotnik said at today's thematic session of the Novi Grad Municipal Assembly, that a meeting will be held in May at the Espoo Convention Secretariat, based on a submission by the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction and Ecology of Republika Srpska in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations in the Council of Ministers.

"BiH and Croatia received 180 questions that must be answered with arguments. In addition, we have also sent well-argued submissions to the Aarhus Convention. We want to protect our rights," Vipotnik stressed.

He said that field research has been completed and that laboratory analyses are nearing completion, which already support the claim that the Čerkezovac site does not meet the conditions required for a nuclear-type facility.

"We will not present the results publicly; we would like them to remain part of our argumentation. We do not want the Croat side to take advantage of them," Vipotnik said.

He adds the academic community has also been involved, including the universities in Banja Luka and Istočno Sarajevo, and that the work of the academicians has been completed and consolidated and will serve as arguments once Croatia publishes its environmental impact study.

"The Republika Srpska Government tasked all ministries to prepare expert analyses within their jurisdictions explaining why the Čerkezovac site does not meet the required conditions. That study has been completed and will be of great use to us," Vipotnik emphasized.

He noted that non-governmental organisations also play a significant role, particularly the Green Team Association from Novi Grad.

"The Fund for Financing the Decommissioning of the Krško Nuclear Power Plant submitted the environmental impact study to the line ministry. We immediately, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations in the Council of Ministers, sent an official request for the study to be forwarded to us. Once we receive the study, our task will be to refute it with arguments," Vipotnik said.

He believes that the environmental impact study will not be satisfactory, recalling that Croatia did not properly complete the previous step – the content of the environmental impact study – to which BiH had numerous well-argued objections.

Vipotnik stressed that the meeting of the delegations of BiH and Croatia in Geneva in May will be a very important step before the publication of the environmental impact study.

Croatia plans to store radioactive waste from the Krško Nuclear Power Plant, as well as existing institutional waste, at the Trgovska Gora site in the municipality of Dvor, right on the border with BiH.