The Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets has annulled the permits for the construction of the Una-Mlin hydropower plant after finding that no prior environmental and ecological impact assessments had been carried out for the project.

The original permit issued by Zadar County in 2016, as well as decisions from 2018 and 2019, were declared null and void. The Ministry stated that the continuation of construction would cause irreversible environmental damage and violate Croatian environmental laws.

The Ministry stated that the building permit was issued without prior assessment of the impact of the project on the environment and ecological network, which is now the subject of criminal and misdemeanour proceedings.

This decision was welcomed by the citizens’ initiative “Save the Una”, which had long spoken out against the project. The group emphasised that the ministry’s action confirmed their warnings that the hydropower plant would have a harmful impact on nature and that the permits were not issued in accordance with legal requirements.

The River Una has already been significantly damaged

They called for improvements to the legal and institutional mechanisms to better protect natural resources from similar projects in the future.

Despite this legal victory, the “Save the Una” initiative warned that the situation on the ground remains urgent. They reported that the Una River has already been significantly damaged as its course has been diverted into a newly built canal, resulting in water shortages for local residents. The group called for immediate remediation measures to repair the damage and prevent further damage to the environment.

The initiative, which unites activists from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and beyond, continues to campaign for the long-term protection of the River Una. They emphasised that the river, one of Europe’s last wild ecosystems, belongs to everyone and its protection is crucial for both present and future generations. Their efforts are aimed at ensuring that the river remains a vital natural resource and is not further exploited.