Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković accused the opposition on August 20 of politicising an illegal waste dump in the town of Gospić to try to destabilise his government, as parliament prepared for an extraordinary session on the scandal.

The scandal concerns around 30,000 tonnes of hazardous waste illegally dumped at an industrial site in Gospić, in central Croatia's Lika-Senj county. The government has said it is preparing to remove the waste and export it because Croatia lacks a suitable facility for its disposal.

Croatian President Zoran Milanović, who has a contentious relationship with Plenkovic, has asked parliament to hold an extraordinary session over the waste, calling for its urgent remediation and greater state oversight after tests indicated contamination of groundwater.

Plenković said the government would provide lawmakers with all available information about the waste site and continue efforts to remove the material, some of which contains hazardous substances.

"We will not allow hysteria and politicking to take on the shape that the opposition would like. That is their unfulfilled dream," Plenković said at a government session.

The government says the immediate priorities are protecting public health, removing the waste, establishing criminal responsibility and preventing similar incidents in future.

Plenković said about 5,000 tonnes of waste lying on the surface was due to be removed through a public procurement procedure, with information on the companies that submitted bids expected next week. Authorities are also seeking specialist companies to remove buried waste, with 70 firms across Europe contacted as part of a negotiation process.

"Just as we have solved many problems and many situations, we will solve this problem as well," he said.

Plenković also sought to reassure residents of Gospić and the surrounding Lika region that drinking water remained safe.

"We sympathise with the citizens of Lika who are not alone in this fight with the consequences of dumped waste that also contains elements of hazardous waste," he said.

"The priority is the health of citizens, the removal of sources of pollution, the determination of criminal liability of those responsible for it, and the strengthening of the system so that such situations do not happen again."

He said testing by the Croatian Institute of Public Health showed that water from the public supply system was safe and that the waste had not contaminated the water network.

The prime minister accused opponents of spreading false information and creating panic, claiming the current controversy was part of a broader pattern of political attacks on his government.