VIPOTNIK: 23 SCIENTIFIC AND LEGAL STUDIES TO BE PRESENTED

BANJA LUKA, DECEMBER 10 /SRNA/ – The Minister for Spatial Planning, Construction, and Ecology of Republika Srpska Bojan Vipotnik has stated that 23 scientific and legal papers will be presented at the scientific symposium in Banja Luka on the Trgovska Gora issue, as a response to Croatia, which intends to dispose of radioactive waste at that location on the border with BiH.

Vipotnik emphasized that, in addition to technical and field research, the position of the professional and academic community will also be presented, thereby completing the arguments of Republika Srpska and BiH regarding the disposal of radioactive waste from the Krško Nuclear Power Plant. "We are scientifically, professionally, and legally demonstrating and explaining why a facility of this type should not be built at Trgovska Gora, which is why this symposium is international in character," Vipotnik told reporters. He noted that the symposium will also outline the activities of republican institutions and the expert and legal teams, and expressed gratitude to representatives from the Faculty of Law in Kragujevac and from the Federation of BiH /FBiH/. Nemanja Galić, a member of the Expert Team for Trgovska Gora, said that Croatia is approaching this issue exclusively from a political standpoint, bypassing its own legal procedures and EU regulations, despite warnings from the European Commission. "Under international law and its obligations as an EU member state, Croatia may not decide on a site for this type of facility without conducting an environmental impact assessment and securing a positive environmental impact opinion," Galić explained. He added that this assessment must include the participation of BiH, which must be consulted, along with any other potentially affected parties. It must include public participation and the submission of comments through public hearings, after which revisions are made. "The environmental impact assessment study has not yet been published and will likely be released in a few months, although it would not be the first time such announcements are delayed. With the law they adopted, they have prejudged the entire process," Galić warned. According to him, by taking these steps, Croatia is violating its international obligations and is simultaneously under monitoring by the European Commission. The President of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Srpska Dragoljub Mirjanić said that Trgovska Gora represents a regional, environmental, and security challenge, and that today's symposium must send a clear scientific message grounded in law. "The researchers presenting their work today at this multidisciplinary conference will help deliver a scientific message, not a political one," Mirjanić stated. Coordinator of the Legal and Expert Team for Trgovska Gora Borislav Bojić said it is important that there is full consensus across all levels of authority in BiH that building a nuclear facility at Trgovska Gora is unacceptable. "All scientific arguments will be incorporated into BiH's official response, which will be presented before the ESPOO Committee," Bojić stressed. He added that Croatia also intends to dispose of institutional waste, raising concerns that the waste could cover a much wider area. Minister Vipotnik officially opened the scientific symposium "Trgovska Gora – Proposed Location for Radioactive Waste Disposal" today in Banja Luka. The symposium is organized by the Department of Natural, Mathematical, and Technical Sciences of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Republika Srpska and the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Banja Luka. The event is supported by the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction, and Ecology of Srpska, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations in the Council of Ministers, and the Fund for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency of Republika Srpska.