Brussels – There is a certain irony in the timing of Christian Schmidt’s decision to step down as High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, the international office tasked with overseeing the implementation of the 1995 agreement that ended the war in the former Yugoslav country.
At a time when discussions about the possibility of the EU joining peace negotiations with Russia over Ukraine have suddenly resurfaced, Schmidt’s resignation is set to trigger a process in which representatives from Brussels and Moscow (alongside Washington) will have to meet and agree on something concrete – namely, the appointment of a new High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Ministers agree that it is in the European Union interest not to let the country slip off its European path, and that we have to stick together and finding a successor,” EU’s High Representative Kaja Kallas said at the end of the Foreign Affairs Council on 11 May, speaking with the press about the ministerial discussions over Schmidt’s resignation.
Chaos over the UN High Representative
“Can the functioning of this country become any more complicated? I think it actually can,” Kallas stressed during the press conference. “That is why we discussed how to support the appointment of a new High Representative by the Peace Implementation Council,” a process that is expected to take place “in June.”
Despite growing doubts among analysts over whether the Office created under the Dayton Peace Agreement more than 30 years ago remains indispensable to the functioning of the Balkan country, “this is the format that Europe supports,” the EU’s foreign affairs chief made clear.
Following his formal resignation before the UN Security Council, Schmidt is expected to continue carrying out his duties in full until the appointment of his successor.
The selection process is led by the Peace Implementation Council (PIC), the international body involved in post-war stabilisation. Its Steering Board – which includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, Russia and representatives of the European Union – selects a candidate. Once appointed, the official heads the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in Sarajevo, a structure that reflects the continued international oversight of Bosnia and Herzegovina nearly three decades after the end of the war.
Under the Dayton Agreement, the Balkan country was divided into two autonomous entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska. These entities are linked through a central government in Sarajevo operating under international supervision. The High Representative’s “Bonn Powers” allow the office-holder to dismiss public officials who violate legal obligations and to impose binding decisions when local actors are unwilling or unable to act.
Since his appointment in 2021, Schmidt has taken a firm stance against Milorad Dodik, the former president of Republika Srpska, who has pursued a secessionist agenda aimed at reducing central state authority in key areas such as the military, tax system and judiciary. The Serb-majority entity’s separatist rhetoric and its non-recognition of Schmidt’s legitimacy have been among the main obstacles to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s progress towards EU membership.
However, since Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025, Schmidt has also come under pressure from the United States. In late April 2026, The Guardian reported that AAFS Infrastructure and Energy – a previously little-known US company linked to Trump’s personal lawyer Jesse Binnall – secured a $1.5 billion contract for the Southern Interconnection pipeline project without a public tender in Sarajevo.
While the European Commission’s spokespersons’ service denied allegations of any risk of confrontation with Washington over a commercial project involving individuals close to the US president – The New Union Post was told that the letter sent by the EU Special Representative, Luigi Soreca, to the Bosnian leadership should be regarded as a “constructive initiative” – Schmidt’s public concerns about the project appear to have quickly turned the US administration against him. Schmidt cited “private reasons” for his resignation.
The state of EU-Bosnia and Herzegovina relations
Bosnia and Herzegovina submitted its official request for EU membership on 15 February 2016. More than six years later, on 15 December 2022, it was granted candidate status. The EU institutions moved forward with the European Council’s decision to open accession negotiations on 21 March 2024.
Despite Sarajevo’s stated commitment, reform momentum has since stalled. Further efforts are needed to address the 14 key priorities outlined in the European Commission’s 2019 Opinion, as well as the steps detailed in the 2022 Recommendation. Two key reforms – a new law on the State Court and one on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council – as well as the appointment of an operational chief negotiator to advance the screening process are still pending. The Council has affirmed its readiness to adopt the negotiating framework only once these conditions have been met.
