The political platform Možemo Osijek announced an initiative to amend the project for the development of the Drava riverbank in Osijek, aiming to preserve nature and reduce concreting. The president of the Osijek branch, Katarina Kruhonja, emphasized that they propose landscaping the riverbank with natural materials instead of concrete structures to maintain the city’s green identity. The project named “Water Square” plans to pour up to 10,000 tons of concrete, which Možemo considers harmful. They also note that the existing Višnjevac embankment already provides flood protection, so concreting is not justified. Citizens have started a petition against the concreting and plan a panel discussion. Platform member Violeta Pancer warns about the lack of an environmental impact study and plans to file a complaint to the European Commission for possible violations of European environmental law.
Political Perspectives:
Left: Left-leaning sources emphasize the environmental protection aspect of the initiative, highlighting the importance of preserving natural habitats and opposing excessive urban concreting. They support the Možemo platform’s call for green, sustainable development and criticize the use of large amounts of concrete that could harm the ecosystem. They also stress citizen activism and the role of public participation in urban planning.
Center: Center-leaning sources report the facts of the initiative and the project, presenting both the environmental concerns and the arguments of the investors or authorities who claim the concreting serves flood protection. They provide balanced coverage of the petition and the planned panel discussion, noting the ongoing debate and the legal and administrative processes involved.
Right: Right-leaning sources may focus on the economic and infrastructural aspects, possibly supporting the investment and flood protection rationale behind the project. They might question the environmentalist opposition as potentially hindering development and infrastructure improvements. They could emphasize the existing flood protection measures and the necessity of urban development projects.
