High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina

High Representative for
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Emblem of the High Representative
Incumbent
Louis Crishock (acting)
since 1 July 2026
StyleMr. High Representative (informal)
His Excellency (diplomatic)
ResidenceEmerika Bluma 1, Sarajevo
Appointer
Inaugural holderCarl Bildt
FormationDayton Agreement
14 December 1995
Salary24,000 EUR per month
Websitewww.ohr.int

The post of high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was created in 1995 immediately after the signing of the Dayton Agreement which ended the 1992 to 1995 Bosnian War. The purpose of the high representative and the OHR is to oversee the civilian implementation of the Dayton Agreement. They are appointed by and serve to represent the countries of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC).

So far, all of the high representatives named have been from European Union countries, and their principal deputies have typically been from the United States. The principal deputy high representative serves as International Supervisor for Brčko, representing the international community in the Brčko District.

The so-called Bonn Powers remain a highly contested attribute of the high representative. Although their legality is questionable, the Bonn Powers give the high representative a wide range of powers, including imposing and annulling laws and appointing and removing officials. Due to the vast powers of the High Representative over Bosnian politics and essential veto powers, the position has been compared to that of a viceroy, or of a colonial governor.

The Dayton Agreement created the legal basis for the OHR. Its Annex 10 provides for the institution of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina to oversee the civilian implementation of the agreement, representing the countries involved in the Dayton Accords through the Peace Implementation Council. The annex also states that the high representative is to be appointed "consistent with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions" and to carry out his tasks "as entrusted by a United Nations Security Council resolution". The issue of Security Council approval of high representatives has been a point of controversy in the case of Christian Schmidt's appointment in 2021, which was considered illegitimate by Russia and China as well as some politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The "Bonn Powers" of the OHR

At its December 1997 meeting in Bonn, the Peace Implementation Council agreed to grant further substantial powers to the OHR, to avoid the implementation of the Dayton Agreement being delayed or obstructed by local nationalist politicians. The OHR was requested to:

  1. Adopt binding decisions when local parties seem unable or unwilling to act;
  2. Remove from office public officials who violate legal commitments or, in general, the DPA.

The legality of the Bonn Powers is questionable, and they were introduced after the Dayton Agreement was signed. Additionally, the PIC does not have the authority to grant powers to the high representative. Despite this, the Bonn Powers give the high representative broad authority, including the ability to make and annul laws, as well as appoint and remove officials.

The Bonn Powers were extensively used by the OHR in the following decade. Some examples include the adoption of the Defence reform in April 2003, with the suppression of the Supreme Defence Council of the Republika Srpska, and the amendment of Entity Constitutional Laws.

Until 2004, the OHR had dismissed a total of 139 officials, including judges, ministers, civil servants and members of parliaments, sometimes along with freezing their bank accounts. After the 2002 elections, the OHR scrutinised all political candidates for major ministerial positions at entity and state level.

History

Fusion with the EUSR post

Between 2002 and 2011, the high representative also served as the European Union special representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Under Christian Schwarz-Schilling, the OHR seemed to soften its invasiveness, thanks to pressures from the Council of Europe and a growing EU involvement. The number of OHR legislative initiatives and of dismissed officials lowered.

On 27 February 2008, the PIC decided to end the high representative's mandate on 30 June 2008. The EU decision to shut down the OHR by June 2007 unexpectedly aroused disappointment and concern in the Bosnian population, NGOs, and politicians. However, since the PIC February 2008 review, it was decided to extend that mandate indefinitely until a set of positive benchmarks have been fulfilled.

The "double hatting" between EUSR and OHR was discontinued in 2011, when the EU representative post was fused between the EUSR and the head of the EU delegation.[citation needed]

Resignation of Christian Schmidt

On 11 May 2026, Christian Schmidt announced his resignation as High Representative, with a new representative planning to be appointed by 14 July. This came after the U.S. demanded Schmidt's immediate resignation, away from a previous agreement where he would stay in his post until elections in October. His term ended on 1 July 2026, and was succeeded by International Supervisor for Brčko and Principal Deputy High Representative Louis J. Crishock as acting High Representative.

The U.S. has presented Italian ambassador Antonio Zanardi Landi as its preferred candidate. France, Britain, and Germany, meanwhile, have mostly supported René Troccaz, France's special envoy for the Western Balkans, as their candidate. European officials reportedly believe that U.S. manoeuvring is related to an attempt to secure a contract for the $1 billion Southern Interconnection gas pipeline, meant to connect Bosnia's energy supply to Europe, for AAFS Infrastructure and Energy, a company personally connected to Donald Trump. Officials further believe that if Landi assumes the position of High Representative he may take actions in support of the pipeline, such as by transferring nationally owned land in Republika Srpska to the government of the entity. Landi has unofficially promised to not overturn decrees from previous High Representatives, not make substantial actions without consulting the PIC, use the Bonn powers as a last resort, and not unilaterally dissolve the OHR.

Conditions for closure of the Office of the High Representative

OHR building in Grbavica, Sarajevo.

In February 2008, the Peace Implementation Council set the conditions for closure of the OHR, which the PIC Steering Board considered a pre-condition for accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the European Union. From a long list of known priorities, the PIC selected:

In addition to these objectives there are also two conditions:

An additional unwritten condition to be enforced through the "assessment by the PIC Steering Board" final condition, was adopted later by the US and some EU countries:

Criticisms

In the many years attempting to facilitate the integration of a stable federal Bosnian state, it has been argued that the OHR posed challenges in accomplishing its principal task. The OHR's prolonged intervention in the politics of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been considered by some as a potential cause of the allegedly low commitment of citizens towards the state, as perceived by the low voter turnout, and of the purported low accountability of politicians, whose actions may be subject to the OHR's review.

Former HR Paddy Ashdown noted the high representative has "powers that ought to make any liberal blush." Criticisms of the action of the OHR through its Bonn powers include:

In addition to the potential consideration of imposing legislation on contentious issues, the OHR "developed the practice of dismissing public officials from their offices and banning them from holding any public employment again ... often without even admitting the dismissed persons to confront the charges brought against them, let alone granting them a fair hearing or a right to appeal." In June 2004, for example, Paddy Ashdown dismissed 58 public officials in a single day. Politicians and judges have been subject to potential removal. Some of those dismissed were allegedly banned for life from holding public office and their bank accounts been frozen as well. Doubts about the legality of both the OHR's interpretation of its mandate and particular actions have been expressed by the Council of Europe and others.

In 2004, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which Bosnia and Herzegovina had joined in 2002, voiced complaints against OHR's actions, and expressed the need "to define a clear strategy for transferring responsibilities from the high representative to domestic authorities." Russia and China have rejected the continuation of the office and have tried at the UN to have it terminated. They argue that it violates BiH's sovereignty, and they claim that the West persists with the setup so it can remain the "guardian" of the country. Valentin Inzko, during his tenure as high representative, declared: "We have to wait for the moment that Bosnia–Herzegovina is irreversibly on its way to Euro-Atlantic integration, then we should shut down the Office."

List of high representatives

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)		 Term of office Span Country
1 Carl Bildt
(born 1949)		 14 December 1995
–
18 June 1997		 1 year, 186 days Sweden
2 Carlos Westendorp
(1937–2026)		 18 June 1997
–
18 August 1999		 2 years, 61 days Spain
3 Wolfgang Petritsch
(born 1947)		 18 August 1999
–
27 May 2002		 2 years, 282 days Austria
4 Paddy Ashdown
(1941–2018)		 27 May 2002
–
31 January 2006		 3 years, 249 days United Kingdom
5 Christian Schwarz-Schilling
(1930–2026)		 31 January 2006
–
2 July 2007		 1 year, 152 days Germany
6 Miroslav Lajčák
(born 1963)		 2 July 2007
–
26 March 2009		 1 year, 267 days Slovakia
7 Valentin Inzko
(born 1949)		 26 March 2009
–
1 August 2021		 12 years, 128 days Austria
8 Christian Schmidt
(born 1957)		 1 August 2021
–
1 July 2026		 4 years, 334 days Germany
— Louis Crishock
(born 1971)
Acting		 1 July 2026
–
Incumbent		 133 days United States

List of principal deputy high representatives

The second-ranking official at the Office of the High Representative carries the title of "Principal Deputy High Representative (PDHR)", who has also served as the International Supervisor for Brčko since 2007. For many years, the individual filling that role has been an official of the United States government, in most cases a career Foreign Service Officer of the U.S. Department of State. Throughout much of OHR's earlier history, there were also individuals who held the title of "Deputy High Representative," a rank just below that of the PDHR.

# Officeholder Born Term of office Country
1 Michael Steiner 1949 January 1996 July 1997 Germany
2 Jacques Paul Klein 1939 July 1997 July 1999 United States
3 Ralph Johnson 17 July 1999 17 July 2001
4 Donald S. Hays July 2001 March 2005
5 Lawrence E. Butler 1953 March 2005 January 2007
6 Raffi Gregorian 1964 January 2007 31 July 2010
7 Roderick W. Moore 1964 20 September 2010 October 2013
8 Tamir G. Waser October 2013 August 2014
9 David M. Robinson 1955 September 2014 September 2015
10 Bruce G. Berton 1961 September 2015 October 2017
11 Dennis Walter Hearne October 2017 November 2018
12 Michael Scanlan 1961 February 2019 30 June 2022
13 Jonathan Mennuti [bs] 30 June 2022 13 August 2024
14 Louis Crishock 1971 13 August 2024 Incumbent
  1. ↑ Raffi Gregorian already assumed the role of International Supervisor for Brcko in October 2006 (appointed in September) before taking another role as Principal Deputy High Representative in January 2007.

See also

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 Eriksson & Kostić 2013, p. 35.
  2. ↑ "Interview: Christian Schwarz-Schilling, High Representative for BiH: 'The Last Bosnian Viceroy'". 31 March 2006.
  3. ↑ A Biographical Encyclopedia of Contemporary Genocide: Portraits of Evil and Good, p. 25, at Google Books
  4. ↑ "Carlos Westendorp, Bosnia's Euro-Spanish viceroy". The Economist. 3 September 1998.
  5. ↑ "Two visions for Bosnia". The Economist. 13 April 2011.
  6. ↑ Bosnia's new colonial governor - The Guardian
  7. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ↑ Bosnia's new colonial governor - The Guardian
  9. ↑
  10. ↑ United Nations Security Council Seventy-sixth year 8896th meeting Wednesday, 3 November 2021, 3 p.m. New York. P.8/19, 10/19
  11. ↑ N1 Sarajevo, SRNA (23 August 2021). "Russian Embassy repeats Schmidt is "not legitimate" as High Rep in BiH". N1. Retrieved 23 June 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ "Chinese Embassy in BiH: we do not accept the legitimacy of Christian Schmidt as the new HR". Sarajevo Times. 17 August 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  13. ↑ "Ambasada Kine u BiH: Imenovanje visokog predstavnika nije legitimno" [Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Bosnia and Herzegovina: The appointment of the High Representative is not legitimate]. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (in Bosnian). 17 August 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  14. ↑ "Chairperson of BiH Presidency left the UN Session during HR Schmidt Address". sarajevotimes.com. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  15. ↑ "PIC Bonn 1997 conclusions". Archived from the original on 14 September 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Giulio Venneri, Modelling States from Brussels?, December 2007.
  17. ↑ "EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina". European Union External Action. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  18. ↑ Vogel, Toby (9 July 2009). "Cypriot threats could affect role of top envoy in Bosnia". European Voice. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  19. 1 2 Press conference by the High Representative Miroslav Lajčák following the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board session in Brussels on 26–27 February 2008
    Office of the High Representative, 27 Feb 2008, accessed 8 June 2016.
  20. ↑ "International envoy for Bosnia who clashed with Serb leader to step down". AP News. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  21. 1 2 Borger, Julian (30 June 2026). "US and European diplomats continue standoff over top Bosnia and Herzegovina post". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
  22. ↑ "Statement of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council". Office of the High Representative. 30 June 2026. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
  23. ↑ Mahinić, Senja. "Italijani, u dogovoru sa Amerikancima, uputili non-paper da omekšaju stavove EU: Landi neće poništavati odluke prethodnih visokih predstavnika dok će Bonske ovlasti koristiti kao krajnju mjeru" [The Italians, in agreement with the Americans, sent a non-paper to soften the positions of the EU: Landi will not cancel the decisions of the previous high representatives, while they will use the Bonn powers as a last resort]. Istraga.
  24. ↑ "Uoči sjednice PIC-a u Sarajevu: Francuzi, Nijemci i Brisel kontra Amerikanaca i Italijana. Žele srušiti Landija i za visokog predstavnika imenovati Renea Troccaza. Turci i Japanci uz SAD, Kanađani kontra. Britanci "neodlučni"!" [On the eve of the PIC session in Sarajevo: the French, Germans and Brussels against the Americans and Italians. They want to topple Landi and appoint Rene Troccaz as High Representative. Turks and Japanese with the USA, Canadians against. The British are "undecided"!]. Istraga.
  25. 1 2 EU to end visa regime for Bosnia in November
  26. ↑ "Communiqué of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council". 8 February 2013. Archived from the original on 8 February 2013.
  27. ↑ "Decision on the establishment of the Brcko District of BiH". www.ohr.int. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  28. ↑ Brčko Supervision at the Wayback Machine (archived 2026-01-13)
  29. 1 2 37th Report of the High Representative for Implementation of the Peace Agreement on Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Secretary-General of the United Nations Archived 2011-02-28 at the Wayback Machine
  30. ↑ Dijkstra, G.; Raadschelders, J. (2022). "The High Representative in Bosnia–Herzegovina: The Unusual Institutional Arrangement of a Non-Authoritarian, Yet Controlled, Democracy". World Affairs. 185 (2): 285–311. doi:10.1177/00438200221087971.
  31. ↑ "Paddy Ashdown: Why the World will never be the same again". Liberal Democrat Voice. 22 August 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  32. ↑ Matthew Parish, Demise of the Dayton Protectorate, J.Intervention and Statebuilding, Vol. 1 Special Supplement Archived 2015-01-13 at the Wayback Machine
  33. ↑ "Honouring of obligations and commitments by Bosnia and Herzegovina". Council of Europe. 4 June 2004. See: Section III, paragraph 99.
  34. 1 2 Banning, Tim (2014). "The 'Bonn Powers' of the High Representative in Bosnia Herzegovina: Tracing a Legal Figment". Goettingen Journal of International Law. 6 (2): 259–302. doi:10.3249/1868-1581-6-2-banning.
  35. ↑ Banning 2014, p. 268.
  36. ↑ House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee (1 February 2005). Third Report of the 2004–5 Session (Report). UK Government. See David Chandler's remarks at Section VI, paragraph 166: "For every other country the EU is very keen to have democracy, human rights and rule of law, but in Bosnia there is a Special Representative with the power to sack elected officials, to take away people's bank accounts, to dismiss them without any court of appeal and to impose legislation. You can see there is a slight element of double standards there."
  37. ↑ "Honouring of obligations and commitments by Bosnia and Herzegovina". Council of Europe. 4 June 2004. See: Section II, paragraphs 101, 102.
  38. ↑ "Russia, China fail at U.N. in bid to shut down Bosnia peace envoy". Reuters. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  39. ↑ "U.N. extends EU-force in Bosnia after Russia, China appeased". Reuters. 4 November 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  40. ↑ "Is another conflict looming in the Balkans?". Al Jazeera. 6 January 2013. Event occurs at 18:18. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
    See also an interview several years later with Nezavisne novine: "[T]he goal remains the same: a stable and prosperous BiH, irreversibly on its way to the EU"; Dejan Šajinović (6 October 2017). "Interview with HR Valentin Inzko". ohr.int. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  41. ↑ "HR and his deputies". High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Office of the High Representative. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  42. 1 2 3 "Ralph Johnson - Curriculum Vitae". High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Office of the High Representative. Retrieved 26 October 2023. 17 July 1999 – 17 July 2001...Principal Deputy High Representative, Ralph Johnson, a US diplomat, took up his duties with the OHR in July 1999
  43. ↑ "High Representative welcomes new PDHR, Donald S. Hays". High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Office of the High Representative. 16 July 2001. Retrieved 26 October 2023. Hays has been a US diplomat for almost three decades
  44. ↑ "High Representative Appoints Raffi Gregorian as New Brčko Supervisor". High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Office of the High Representative. 3 September 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2023. become the fifth Brčko Supervisor on 1 October
  45. ↑ "Raffi Gregorian - Curriculum Vitae". High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Office of the High Representative. 5 October 2006. Retrieved 26 October 2023. appointed Brcko Supervisor and Deputy High Representative in September 2006
  46. 1 2 "Roderick W. Moore - Curriculum Vitae". High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Office of the High Representative. 20 September 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2023. Principal Deputy High Representative and Brcko Supervisor, 20 September 2010 – October 2013
  47. ↑ "High Representative Welcomes PDHR Roderick Moore". High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Office of the High Representative. 22 September 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2023.

Bibliography

  • Eriksson, Mikael; Kostić, Roland, eds. (2013). Mediation and Liberal Peacebuilding: Peace from the Ashes of War?. London-New York: Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781136189166.