Christian Schmidt (CSU) has announced his resignation as the High Representative of the community of states in Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to reporting by the FAZ, Schmidt first informed of his decision on Sunday. However, he officially plans to announce his departure this Tuesday during his semi-annual report to the UN Security Council in New York, where he is due to present on the security situation within his mandate area.
In a statement issued by the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in Sarajevo, Schmidt stated that he had “personally decided to end his service for the implementation of the peace process in Bosnia and Herzegovina”. Since the war ended in 1995, the OHR has been responsible for supervising the Bosnian peace process. Schmidt added that he has requested the Peace Implementation Council to begin the process of finding a successor. This Council represents 55 states and organizations, with the US and many EU member states taking a leading role.
Schmidt explained that he will continue to perform his duties until his successor is secured. This apparent announcement has some critics interpreting it as a subtle critique of the United States, which is reportedly maneuvering behind the scenes to remove Schmidt and has allegedly already chosen a replacement. Nevertheless, Schmidt pointed out that the US cannot make a unilateral decision within the Peace Implementation Council, even in theory. He stated that he had hoped to be the last High Representative in Bosnia, given that the country still has crucial reforms to implement, making the office “indispensable” according to the politician.
This view was challenged by Wolfgang Petritsch, an Austrian diplomat and former EU chief negotiator for the Balkans who succeeded Schmidt. Petritsch argues that there is no longer any reason to maintain an office, originally conceived merely as a temporary solution, more than three decades after the war. He suggested that the remaining reforms could instead be concluded within the context of Bosnia’s EU accession negotiations.
