site.btaHigh Representative Christian Schmidt Set on Staying in Bosnia and Herzegovina Until Stability and Progress Are Ensured

The international community's High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, has said he will remain in office until stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina is ensured and the country's progress becomes irreversible.

Speaking to the country's public broadcaster BHT1 on January 20, Schmidt said he will stay until the completion of his mandate, which, he said, is tied to the so-called 5+2 agenda, adding that those conditions had not yet been fulfilled. He said he was surprised that speculation about his departure from Bosnia and Herzegovina emerged at this stage.

Schmidt, who has held the post since 2021, thus referred to the conditions for closing the Office of the High Representative, defined back in 2008, when the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) Steering Board set five objectives and two conditions.

The objectives include a sustainable resolution of the issue of state property distribution between the state and other levels of government, full implementation of the final arbitration award for Brcko (a practically self-governing area), fiscal sustainability and the rule of law. The two conditions are the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the European Union, which has already been met, and a positive assessment of the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina by the PIC Steering Board, a goal that has seemed unattainable for years.

Schmidt said he hopes these tasks will be completed as soon as possible but expects the process to take several years. He added that there are not many people interested in taking on the role of High Representative and said he will remain in office until Bosnia and Herzegovina's development and stability become irreversible.

He denied that there has been any pressure for him to resign, speculation that surfaced following changes in the United States' approach to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Dragan Covic, leader of HDZ BiH, the main party of the Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said on several occasions it was time for the High Representative to leave the country.

Schmidt said this is a political position but added that those expressing such views remain responsible for contributing to improvements in the country's situation.

Schmidt said that, apart from Zeljka Cvijanovic, the Serb member of the three-member Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, no one has called for his resignation. He expressed hope that he will be the last High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina and called on those who oppose his presence to work toward meeting the 5+2 conditions as quickly as possible.

He said he does not intend to use his extensive powers to resolve major outstanding issues, stressing that this is the responsibility of domestic political actors.

This also applies to the expected amendments to the electoral law needed to ensure legitimate representation of the constituent peoples. Schmidt said the matter falls within the remit of parliament and is also linked to constitutional issues, including the implementation of rulings by the European Court of Human Rights, adding that he could not amend the constitution himself.

Schmidt assessed 2025 as a year of missed opportunities in which significantly more could and should have been done. He added that the Council of Ministers could also have done more, noting that a new security minister had not been appointed for more than a year after the previous minister was dismissed over corruption.