As of September 1st, Johann Sattler will officially step down as the European Union (EU) Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). After five years, it can be said that he leaves BiH in a somewhat better state than he found it.
Starting September 1st, Sattler will be replaced by Luigi Soreca, while the Austrian diplomat will move several hundred kilometers southeast to Podgorica, where he will serve as the EU Ambassador to Montenegro.
Proactive mandate
Sattler took up the role of EU Ambassador to BiH in September 2019. During his mandate, the country transitioned from an applicant state to gaining candidate status and received the green light to open membership negotiations with the EU, which it achieved in March of this year.
It is important to note that Sattler was a representative of EU policy in BiH, and often did not have the power to make decisions or significantly change things. However, the Austrian diplomat frequently used his position to engage with key political actors in BiH.
Numerous important meetings that significantly moved BiH closer to Brussels were held at the EU Delegation building in BiH.
Additionally, Sattler, during crucial moments, hosted political leaders in BiH at his private residence in an attempt to facilitate agreements.
Throughout his mandate, Sattler clearly and consistently articulated the EU’s positions on BiH. He was particularly critical of the authorities in the Republika Srpska (RS), often highlighting them as responsible for blocking important processes in the country.
Sattler maintained a firm stance that secession of the entity is impossible and that the EU fully supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of BiH.
Criticism, especially regarding his relationship with Covic
Naturally, there were criticisms directed at Sattler, as well as the institution he represented during his mandate. He was often accused of having “closer ties” with certain politicians and rhetoric that was not always satisfactory, with particular focus on his relationship with the president of HDZ, Dragan Covic, especially during negotiations on the Election Law of BiH and support for the High Representative’s imposed changes to the Election Law, which led to the formation of a new government by temporarily suspending the Bosniak representatives, specifically the Vice President of the Federation of BiH (FBiH).
However, when the soon-to-be former EU Ambassador to BiH appeared in an interview on May 9th of this year, he very clearly criticized Covic in the context of changes to the Election Law related to Covic’s demands for the election of members of the Presidency of BiH.
“I would say that the whole issue of electing members of the Presidency of BiH is something that will not be agreed upon. We clearly suggested to Covic to abandon this. If we talk about the Election Law, our opinion is that the priority is the implementation of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rulings. We suggested to them that what they are asking for regarding the Presidency is unrealistic. The proposal to amend the Election Law presented by HDZ does not seem convincing to me. They didn’t even ask us to send the law to the Venice Commission. This needs more thought; I don’t see a chance for this to be resolved before the October elections,” Sattler emphasized at the time.
In retrospect, Sattler’s mandate was marked by numerous activities that can only be viewed through the lens of his position as the “megaphone” for EU policy towards BiH.
Sattler’s proactiveness in frequently holding BiH politicians accountable, his public statements criticizing actors who do not work in the interest of the citizens, and his consistent positions on key issues for the country are certainly commendable.
Of course, there are areas for criticism, such as his occasionally lenient stance towards certain actors and overly “sterile” reactions to some issues that are very important for BiH.
Nevertheless, Sattler will leave BiH as the EU Ambassador under whose mandate the country made its biggest step towards EU membership, receiving the green light to open accession negotiations, albeit with the caveat that BiH has yet to open negotiations until it meets certain prerequisites and first receives a date to begin talks, Klix.ba writes.
E.Dz.
