American pipeline accelerated Schmidt's departure

Christian Schmidt, the last envoy in charge of overseeing the implementation of the peace agreement in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) after the wars of the 1990s, is resigning, the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina (OHR) announced yesterday. It said he would hold the post until his successor was elected.

"After almost five years as High Representative for BiH, a mandate based on Annex 10 of the Dayton Peace Agreement, Christian Schmidt has made a personal decision to end his service in the implementation of the peace provisions in BiH," the statement published on the official OHR website said.

Schmidt has clashed several times with Milorad Dodik, former president of Republika Srpska and leader of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD).

Dodik was given a six-year ban from holding public office in 2025 because he refused to recognize Schmidt's decisions.

Reuters reports that Dodik's position appears to have improved in the meantime as the US seeks to increase its presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The US lifted sanctions on him last year, and President Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., visited Republika Srpska last month.

The German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that the US had sought Schmidt's departure for reasons related to the construction of the 1,5 billion-euro Southern Interconnection pipeline, which is being supported by the US and would transport American gas from Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina. A diplomatic source, who did not want to be named, told Reuters that Schmidt was leaving under US pressure, but did not provide further details.

Sarajevo media reported that Schmidt resigned under pressure from the US administration for failing to repeal the law prohibiting the disposal of state property, or impose a new one that would address the issue. It is alleged that this was done because the US wants to move forward with the implementation of the Southern Gas Interconnection, a large part of whose route passes through state land.

Dodik was banned from political activity for six years in 2025 for refusing to recognize Schmidt's decisions, but his position appears to have changed since the US sought to increase its presence in Bosnia, writes Reuters.

The pipeline project has been entrusted to the American company AAFS Infrastructure and Energy, which, as previously reported, is backed by close associates of Donald Trump. The company was founded in November last year and has no experience in similar projects.

Brussels has warned BiH authorities that they must comply with European Union (EU) rules, meaning that they must "carefully consider the obligations" from the Energy Community Treaty when drafting energy laws.

In order to maintain progress towards EU membership, they stated, it is crucial that laws are aligned with the recommendations of the European Commission.

For the EU, as emphasized, the problem is not the Southern Interconnection gas pipeline itself, which should reduce BiH's dependence on Russian gas, but the way in which the project was awarded to an American company, without a transparent procedure and public procurement rules.

The Law on the Prohibition of Disposal of State Property was imposed in 2005 by the then High Representative Paddy Ashdown, and in 2022 it was supplemented by the Schmidt decision, which once again confirmed and clarified the regime of prohibition of disposal of state property, referring to previous decisions of the Constitutional Court of BiH.

The OHR previously emphasized that this law will remain in force until the BiH Parliament passes a law that will resolve the controversial issue of state property, which is one of the five conditions for ending the OHR's ​​mandate in BiH.

Beta Agency writes that Bosniak politicians insist on the position that the title of state property belongs to the state of BiH, while the authorities in Republika Srpska claim that state property belongs to the entities.

Sarajevo-based portal Kliks (Klix.ba) announced that the candidates for Schmidt's successor are two Italian diplomats who enjoy the support of the US. It states that "such an appointment after Schmidt's departure could be interpreted as a kind of slap in the face to Germany and the suppression of its influence in BiH."

The portal writes that Šmit's departure opens a new political chapter that will certainly further heat up the election campaign and key issues in BiH. It estimates that Dodik will use Šmit's departure to portray it as his great success.

"Regardless of whether it was 'part of the package' by which Dodik negotiated the lifting of sanctions in order to stop the attack on the constitutional and legal order of BiH or part of the pressure due to the business interests of American companies related to the Southern Interconnection, Schmidt's departure gives Dodik the opportunity to present himself as a winner," the text states.

It is emphasized that Schmidt's departure will open a new series of questions that will, among other things, require the ruling SNSD to reorient themselves according to previous narratives, because the denial of Schmidt's legitimacy as High Representative did not stem from his personality, but rather from the fact that he was not appointed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) but by a decision of the Peace Implementation Council in BiH (PIC).

"In this sense, if the new High Representative were appointed by the PIC, without a decision by the UN Security Council, it would be in principle for Dodik to continue to challenge the legality," the text states, reminding that, despite the challenge, Dodik implemented all of Schmidt's decisions.

Kliks states that Schmidt's announcement that he will remain in office until a successor is appointed in a way guarantees the continuity of the institution and leaves Europe with important leverage if a diplomatic rift with the US occurs.

Schmidt is expected to present his semi-annual report on Bosnia and Herzegovina to the UN Security Council today. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that the report will warn of the impending disintegration of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the "disintegration" of the state.

Dodik said yesterday that the RS, as a signatory to Annex 10 of the Dayton Peace Agreement (the part that interprets the civilian implementation of the peace agreement and the role of the High International Representative), will, together with the other signatories, participate in the possible election of a new High Representative in BiH.

"When we make a proposal, it will be confirmed in the UN Security Council. We will ask that the mandate be limited to a year or two and that the garbage of former high representatives be cleaned up. This gives BiH another chance," Dodik said at a press conference in Banja Luka.

According to him, this means the original Dayton and the beginning of building mutual relations without foreigners.

"If that doesn't happen, what good will it do us to have someone who will continue the same," said Dodik.

He assessed that Christian Schmidt's resignation to the Security Council "makes no sense, because this council never elected him," adding that Schmidt "was chased away and told that he would have problems if he didn't leave."

Dodik told RT Balkans that at the upcoming UN Security Council session, scheduled for today, which will discuss the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia will demand that all decisions imposed by Schmidt during his five-year mandate be annulled.

Schmidt is expected to present his semi-annual report on Bosnia and Herzegovina to the UN Security Council today. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that the report will warn of the impending disintegration of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the "disintegration" of the state.

Schmidt took over the position of High Representative in BiH on August 2, 2021, from his predecessor, Valentin Inzko.

He was appointed to this position by the PIC, and the authorities in the RS have never recognized his legitimacy, because his appointment was not confirmed in the UN Security Council, due to the opposition of Russia and China.

Schmidt, however, is not the only High Representative to be appointed in this way, given that the High Representative mandate was granted to Christian Schwarz-Schilling in the same manner.

One of Schmidt's most significant decisions during his five-year term in BiH was the amendment of the BiH Criminal Code. Based on these amendments, Dodik was sentenced to one year in prison and a six-year ban on holding public office for failing to implement the High Representative's decisions.