Bojan Vipotnik, the Minister of Spatial Planning, Construction, and Ecology of the Republic of Srpska, has appraised today's meeting in Geneva as highly successful. During the meeting, the representatives of the Secretariat and the Implementation Committee of the Espoo Convention and the SEA Protocol were briefed on Bosnia and Herzegovina's position in the Trgovska Gora case.
Minister Vipotnik, who spearheaded the Bosnian Herzegovinian delegation, comprising Dejan Ćosić, Chief of the Cabinet in the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction, and Ecology of the Republic of Srpska, and Nemanja Galić, a member of the Legal Team overseeing matters related to the disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, emphasized that the representatives of the Secretariat and the Implementation Committee of the Espoo Convention displayed significant interest in the subject. They posed a series of additional inquiries regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina's activities, including questions about research within the country highlighting the inadmissibility of the specified location.
"We have apprised the Secretariat of numerous breaches of the obligations assumed by Croatia during the planning of a nuclear facility on Trgovska Gora. To ensure Bosnia and Herzegovina's inclusion as an affected party in Croatia's ongoing procedure, we formally requested that Croatia permit experts from BiH to participate in the field research at Čerkezovac - Trgovska Gora. This is particularly crucial as there are compelling arguments suggesting that the chosen location fails to meet any parameters for constructing a nuclear facility. Regrettably, the Bosnian Herzegovinian side has not been granted permission for the presence of investigative works. Consequently, the research is being conducted within the borders of BiH, given that the area possesses identical or similar characteristics," stated Minister Vipotnik. The minister further supplemented:
• "We conveyed to our hosts that in March 2023, environmental impact assessment activities commenced in the Republic of Croatia for the construction project of the Center for Waste Management, the officially designated name for the contested nuclear facility on Trgovska Gora. Bosnia and Herzegovina duly notified the Republic of Croatia of its intent to participate in the environmental impact assessment procedure. We submitted constructive remarks and responses to the Request for determining the scope and content of the environmental impact study. Furthermore, we requested the correction and supplementation of the document, urging that it be resubmitted to the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina for thorough consideration."
• "We communicated to the Secretariat that in September 2023, Croatia submitted an act defining the scope and content of the study, which did not detail how BiH's comments and suggestions were incorporated. Instead, it vaguely mentioned that the future Environmental Impact Study "should take into account" the opinion from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Notably, the Instructions failed to specify that the Study must include a dedicated section outlining potential environmental impacts on the territory of BiH and corresponding measures to mitigate or bring them within the permissible levels set by the Espoo Convention provisions. Furthermore, we emphasized the lack of clarity regarding the parameters guiding the selection of the Trgovska Gora location in comparison to alternative sites, which were not even referenced in the document submitted for notification to BiH."
Minister Vipotnik highlighed that the representatives of the Secretariat and the Implementation Committee of the Espoo Convention posed a multitude of questions, extending the duration of the meeting by almost an hour beyond the initially scheduled timeframe.
• "The Secretariat's representatives underscored their commitment to meticulously considering the positions presented by Bosnia and Herzegovina. They particularly emphasized that BiH has responded with absolute timeliness throughout the entire procedure in line with the Espoo Convention. It was emphasized that BiH has not encountered any delays in any aspect of the procedure."
• "In summary, today's meeting in Geneva proved to be exceptionally successful, affirming from a credible source that we have diligently undertaken all the steps mandated by the Espoo Convention. This stands as the paramount outcome of today's discussions. With unwavering responsibility, we will persist in monitoring all of Croatia's activities, steadfastly committed to taking every necessary measure to safeguard the lives and health of our citizens in the Una basin."