A few environmental associations on Friday held a news conference in Pula to inform about the results of the petition and raise their voice against the factory which Danish company "Rockwool" is planning to build in Pican.
Activists say that such a factory would irreversibly destroy the valley of the Rasa River and high-quality arable land.
They also do not believe that the factory would increase the local employment opportunities.
The activists told the news conference that plans about the factory already badly affected the creation of jobs given that three families jettisoned their plans to invest in agro-tourism in the vicinity of the plant.
Earlier this year, the Danish company "Rockwool", one of the biggest manufacturers of rock wool, obtained a permit to build the plant in Pican municipality in Istria County and construction works were due to begin soon,
The 75 million euro plant is expected to start operating in the summer of 2007 and it will employ 130 workers at the beginning.