Legal Strategy in the Trgovska Gora Case Presented to Students
Experience gained in preparing the legal strategy and arguments for international proceedings was used as a case study in environmental law teaching.
As legal adviser to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Prof. Dr Mirjana Drenovak-Ivanović contributed to the preparation of the legal strategy and arguments for proceedings before the Espoo Convention Implementation Committee concerning the planned radioactive-waste storage facility at the Čerkezovac/Trgovska Gora site.
The legal analysis focused on the obligation of the Party of origin to ensure early, timely and effective transboundary public participation and to provide the public of the affected Party with an opportunity to participate in the decision-making process equivalent to that available to its own public. Particular attention was given to public participation during the scoping stage of the environmental impact assessment, timely notification, access to relevant information and consideration of possible alternatives, including the no-action alternative.
In early June 2026, the legal issues, arguments and experience gained through work on the case were presented to students. The Trgovska Gora case enabled students to examine how facts, expert studies and the procedural standards of international environmental law are brought together when developing legal arguments for proceedings before an international body.
The presentation connected practical experience from international proceedings with the teaching, clinical and research activities of JMC EECL. It provided students and early-career legal professionals with insight into a complex case involving transboundary environmental impact assessment, nuclear safety, radioactive-waste management, access to information, human rights and the legal position of local communities.
