High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina Christian Schmidt stated in an interview with Deutsche Welle that there is no unified position within the international community on the future of the Dayton settlement of Bosnia and Herzegovina, assessing that the approaches and visions for the further political development of the country are currently divided.
Schmidt, responding to questions about possible pressures and speculation about his departure from office, emphasized that such a decision was not made suddenly or spontaneously, and that his mandate is not the result of short-term circumstances. – It is not that I woke up one morning and decided that the job should be finished. The job is not finished and must continue – Schmidt said.
Divided views of the international community on Dayton
Speaking about the role of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Schmidt emphasized that the key to its work is clear and unified support from all relevant actors. However, he pointed out that such consensus is not always present. When asked by a journalist to clarify where support is specifically lacking and whether the approach of international factors towards BiH is changing, Schmidt said that serious questions are currently being raised about the future political framework of the country.
“Is there a certain degree of policy reshaping going on right now? Do we want to continue with Dayton or go another way? What is the role of the international community? There are different opinions on that,” Schmidt stated.
He added that he believes that a broad consensus of the international community is necessary for successful work, and that preserving it is one of the key challenges, even if it means making decisions that he personally does not want.
“I need to be able to rely on the existence of a consensus. I want to preserve it, as paradoxical as it may sound. I believe that it can only be preserved if a step is taken that I absolutely did not want: to step back and make room for others,” Schmidt said.
A message to the future High Representative
Speaking about the future of the High Representative, Schmidt also gave advice to his potential successor, emphasizing the complexity of the political environment in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
– Everyone who comes here must know that it is a balancing act between an impossible mission and small steps forward – he emphasized.
Criticism and accusations against Milorad Dodik
In the part of the interview that referred to political actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Schmidt spoke specifically about SNSD President Milorad Dodik, whom he labeled as one of the destructive political forces in the country.
According to him, Dodik hired a lobbying firm with the aim of achieving three political goals: enabling secession, or independence, of Republika Srpska, overturning court rulings that relate to him personally, and removing him from the position of High Representative.
“A lot of money was invested in this,” Schmidt said in an interview with Deutsche Welle.
“He who cannot pass two laws for European integration will not be able to manage European integration”
At the end of the interview, Schmidt was asked whether he would follow the example of his predecessor Valentin Inzko and impose some important laws, such as the Law on State Property, at the very end of his mandate. The High Representative did not want to confirm or deny the possibility of that. “I will remain with all my powers until the end, but this is a complex issue and must be done with the utmost prudence and political consensus. It is not in my plans at the moment, but I see that it is urgently needed. They were not even able to pass the two laws that were needed to open accession negotiations with the EU,” Schmidt said.
“I could push them through, but I will not do that because whoever cannot pass two laws for European integration will not be able to manage European integration,” he said.
“Everyone must understand that if things are falling apart in the Balkans, this is not a reassuring sign.”
The interview comes at a time of heightened political tensions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and ongoing debates about the role of the international community in maintaining stability and implementing the Dayton Peace Agreement.
