FoE Croatia’s anti-LNG campaign continues despite the adoption of a special law!

The Law aims to regulate the settlement of property-legal relations at the location of the terminal, the concession on the maritime area for the realization of the terminal and the concession fee, defines the fee for the security of supply, etc. The Law gives a direct concession to the company LNG Croatia, which would implement the project through two phases - the construction of a floating terminal in the first phase and the construction of an onshore terminal for liquefied natural gas in the second phase.

“Unfortunately, we are not surprised by the fact that the Parliament has adopted the LNG Law, since the Government is doing everything to try to silence the citizens of Krk and to circumvent the usual legal procedures. We will submit a proposal to review the constitutionality of this law as soon as the legal conditions for it are met”, said Marija Mileta from Zelena akcija/FoE Croatia.

The LNG Law was adopted rapidly and unlawfully, with a minimum of time for a public and parliamentary debate, although it is a law for a project that has been declared a strategic interest of the Republic of Croatia, and is opposed by the local community and local municipalities. “We find it particularly shameful that a large number of MPs did not appear at the debate on the Draft Law as well as on the debate on the amendments. This clearly shows that they did not want to hear the arguments against this Law submited by environmental organizations, as well as the voice of residents of Krk who will be directly affected by this project,” added Mileta.

The gross denial of any risks and negative effects of such a project for citizens, the local community, the environment, the economy, public goods and democracy as a whole is evident in the procedure of preparing the Law and in a series of its provisions. “This Law derogates professional standards and a series of established public administration and political decision-making procedures. The LNG Law, instead of promoting, actually jeopardizes the development potential of the Croatian society,” commented Mileta.

FoE Croatia won’t give up and will continue campaigning against the construction of both the floating and onshore LNG terminals on Krk. The adoption of the LNG Law doesn’t mean that the project will actually be realised as the Croatian Government and LNG Croatia haven’t yet, among other things, proven the economic viability of this project. “When the legal state doesn’t work, and the government favors certain interests, citizens, together with civil society organizations, must be a social corrective of that same country,” Mileta concluded.