Bosnia threatens legal action over Croatia’s nuclear waste site near border

Bosnia & Herzegovina’s presidency said on January 12 it was ready to use all legal and diplomatic means, including possible international litigation, to block Croatia’s plan to build a radioactive waste disposal facility close to the two countries’ border.

In a statement issued after its latest session, the three-member Bosnian presidency said it had instructed state institutions to step up efforts to counter Croatia’s plan to store low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste at Trgovska Gora, near the town of Dvor, just across the frontier.

The presidency said Bosnia should consider launching an international dispute, arbitration or other legal proceedings against Croatia if necessary, and called on the country’s attorney general to actively monitor the case.

It also urged the Bosnian government to quickly adopt a legal strategy and activate international mechanisms, including the Espoo Convention on cross-border environmental impact assessments and the Aarhus Convention on public participation in environmental matters.

Croatia’s parliament recently approved legislation paving the way for the construction of the facility, which Zagreb says is needed to store waste from the jointly owned Krško nuclear power plant in Slovenia as well as existing institutional waste. The site is due to begin operations by 2028.

Bosnian authorities have long opposed the project, warning that it could threaten water sources, the environment and nearby communities. Critics also point out that the region is seismically active, raising fears about the long-term safety of the storage site.

Under the law passed on December 15, Croatian lawmakers cleared a key legal hurdle for the Trgovska Gora project, with 77 voting in favour, 21 against and 36 abstaining. The site, a former military barracks known as Čerkezovac, was first proposed in the late 1990s.

The Bosnian presidency said the state’s foreign ministry should inform international institutions and the public about the potential risks, while other ministries were tasked with preparing expert assessments of the environmental impact in cooperation with regional and local authorities.

Bosnia has accused Croatia of pressing ahead without adequate consultation, despite the cross-border implications of the project.

Croatia says the facility is essential to meet its commitments under agreements with Slovenia governing waste from the Krško nuclear plant, and that construction can proceed once remaining technical requirements are fulfilled.