How to combine the European integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the presence of the OHR was the topic of discussion between representatives of Western countries and the Office of the High Representative, Christian Schmigt himself confirmed. It was discussed, but not decided. The OHR’s mandate is clearly defined by Agenda 5+2, but who has intentions to limit or abolish it? Is a rift looming among the PIC member countries? Is the role of the OHR the reason for the extension of the regular session of the PIC at the beginning of the month. What are the real reasons – Europe or Schmidt’s action, that is, the Bonn powers.
In recent days, an increasingly topical topic is the eventual reduction of OHR’s authority, its relocation or closure. Government obligations that should precede that step have not been fulfilled, and our path to European integration has slowed down since the opening of negotiations. The High Representative believes that BiH’s future with the OHR in a few decades should not be an option, but that it is too early for that step. It is being discussed, and on whose initiative – it is not yet known.
“Dayton, PIC, including my presence were discussed. We had a wide-ranging discussion on all topics. However, there are no decisions in this regard. We talked about how we can combine the European integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the presence of OHR. I will say that I would not like to be here another 30 years or so. The next 20 years should be a time of change. I will be here as long as I see that there is an obligation to report to the UN Security Council – about the fact that things are not sustainable enough, for this country to be without the presence of the international community based on Dayton,” said Schmidt.
There is no change of course in the US administration when it comes to OHR. They expressly oppose anti-Dayton and anti-constitutional actions.
“We support the High Representative and his powers and his decision to use them when necessary. This has been our policy for the past 30 years and will continue to be the case for years to come. We consider the OHR, the High Representative and the Bonn authorities as something that is complementary and enables what the EU is doing in BiH to help,” said US Ambassador to BiH Michael Murphy.
The EU Delegation unofficially said in the conversation that they remain of the position that the OHR is there until the 5+2 Agenda is fulfilled. The parties of the Troika also expressed their support for the high representative, considering it indicative that the actualization of the OHR’s engagement comes at the time of the announcement of the return of jurisdiction to the entities.
“All those who advocate the weakening of the OHR go hand in hand with the plans of Vladimir Putin and his satellites in power in Serbia and the RS entity. That is why it is especially surprising if such positions are advocated by EU members who are declaratively opposed to aggression against Ukraine and Putin’s regime. We invite all actors of the international order, especially the EU, USA and Great Britain, traditional partners and friends of BiH to publicly articulate messages of unequivocal support for the OHR”, reads the statement of SDP, NiP and NS.
Opinions within Bosnia and Herzegovina on the engagement of the OHR are divided, although there are several reasons why the country is not ready to abolish the OHR. The passivity of the former High Representative Valentin Inzko, apart from breaking trust in the institution of the OHR, has also strengthened retrograde forces, is the assessment of Zijad Bećirović, the head of the Institute for Middle Eastern and Balkan Studies: “The international community is always complicit in creating the situation in BiH and installation of suitable government structures. They didn’t miss that in the last elections, when they installed Milorad Dodik and Dragan Čović and the Troika, and it could have been a different coalition, at least at the BiH level”.
“The ruling structure in the RS believes that it should be done immediately, a good part of the structure from FBiH as well. However, the relevant assessment of international factors, and the legal facts speak for it, is that BiH has not even come close to becoming a legal and democratic state,” said Duško Vejnović, president of the European Defense Center from Banja Luka.
The Embassy of France in Bosnia and Herzegovina denies allegations that the EU administration tasked that country with the preparation of materials on the status of the OHR that will be delivered to PIC members, and warns that France supports the mandate of the High Representative.
“We see the initiative of France, which is the result of serious lobbying, to abolish the OHR, i.e. its transformations. We can understand this in the context of President Emmanuel Macron, who has lost control and influence over several colonies, is losing influence on the international scene, and this is a matter of internal French politics – although, realistically, OHR has nothing to do with France,” Bećirović adds.
The unquestionable path of European integration requires the strengthening of state institutions, but while the focus is on BiH. authorities focused on issues on which there is no agreement, the justification of the OHR’s actions is covered. But, where there is smoke, there is also fire – the fact that the regular session of the PIC was extended at the beginning of June and that the question in the public about the actions of Schmidt and the OHR has become topical, leaves room for doubt that among certain structures there are intentions to reduce powers of the high representative, under the guise that we cannot enter the EU with an international factor.
