Berlin divided over US and EU relations towards BiH

The Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) failed to reach an agreement on the appointment of a new High Representative (OHR) of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the third time on Tuesday (July 14th). Consultations will continue, with US diplomat Louis Krišok continuing to serve as acting High Representative.

Italian diplomat Antonio Zanardi Landi and French special envoy for the Western Balkans Rene Trocaz are still in the running for the position of new representative.

Washington insists on Zanardi Landi, while European countries, above all France, Great Britain and Germany, support Trokaza.

The position of High Representative has been vacant since German politician Christian Schmidt, who had held the position since August 2021, resigned under American pressure.

German politicians divided

While negotiations in Sarajevo are stalling, German politicians from different parties are assessing differently how far apart the interests of the US and the European Union in BiH really are.

The chairman of the Bundestag's European Union Affairs Committee, Anton Hofreiter (Greens), once again expressed his outrage at Washington's pressure on the previous High Representative, Christian Schmidt, in a statement to DW. He believes that the interests and goals of the US on the one hand and the EU on the other in Bosnia are diametrically opposed.

"It is obvious that the US pursues different interests in Bosnia and Herzegovina than the European Union. While for the EU, preserving peace in the region is the highest goal, American policy is driven by economic interests from Trump's entourage," Hofreiter assesses.

In his criticism of Washington, the opposition Green politician goes even further: "The dispute over the future of the High Representative shows that the United States does not care about peace and stability in the Western Balkans, but only about personal enrichment. This American policy has negative consequences for all of us in Europe."

Hofreiter stresses that it is important for the EU to continue to advocate for a strong role for the High Representative and against the secessionist aspirations of Republika Srpska. "The German federal government must clearly stand behind the EU. Weakening the High Representative is not in Germany's interest. This is about peace, security and democracy in our neighborhood."

Economic interests are more important than the interests of BiH

Hofreiter's party colleague and one of the most active German politicians when it comes to the Western Balkans, Boris Mijatović, does not view the situation so negatively - but he also assesses that, due to the divergence between Washington and Brussels, the position of the international community in BiH has been significantly weakened.

"The recent change in the US stance towards Milorad Dodik raises the question of whether economic interests are increasingly influencing the choice of the High Representative's successor. For us Greens, it is clear and beyond doubt: every decision on the future of the OHR must be guided by the interests of Bosnia and Herzegovina and must not become the subject of geopolitical or economic agreements," Mijatović, the Greens parliamentary group rapporteur for BiH, told DW.

He fears that the disagreement between the European Union and the United States could permanently damage the High Representative position, which he says is still needed in BiH. “The longer this disagreement continues, the weaker the credibility of the OHR will be. And a weak international body makes it easier for actors like Milorad Dodik to publicly question the legitimacy of the High Representative and the Peace Implementation Council, as well as the integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Mijatović concludes.

Brand: Differences will be overcome

Michael Brand, a member of parliament from the ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU), who is also the vice-chairman of the German-Southern European parliamentary group, does not share the opinion of his opposition colleagues from the Bundestag when it comes to resolving the problem of the new High Representative in BiH.

"Interests do not diverge completely, but there are differences in assessments, and above all in the priorities of the American administration. They are very focused on economic projects, while the Europeans are interested in stabilizing the entire region," Brand tells DW.

Despite these differences, he is certain that the differences will be resolved when a European solution for the OHR is found, "as has been the case so far."

The Christian Democrat politician points out that the position of High Representative has always depended on the engagement of both Europeans and Americans – in the fight against nationalists and autocrats in the region. “That has not changed and will not change, because the OHR does not operate in a political vacuum,” Brand concludes.

Weakening of the position of the High Representative

Analyst Adi Ćerimagić from the Berlin-based European Stability Initiative (ESI) is also convinced that trust between Washington and key European capitals has disappeared, but at the same time, he says, both sides are trying to find some kind of modus vivendi in order to preserve the current situation.

"What we are currently seeing is not a full-scale escalation, but a compromise. Christian Schmidt is no longer the High Representative – that was the wish of the US administration. But at the same time, the candidate preferred by the US has not been appointed either. We now have an interim High Representative, whose mandate and scope of authority have been agreed upon by both sides of the Atlantic. At least for the time being, both sides seem to be more satisfied with the status quo than with a concession in favour of one of the two official candidates," Ćerimagić tells DW.

He also believes that it is currently difficult to predict what will happen and when, or if it will happen at all, for Bosnia and Herzegovina to regain a full-fledged High Representative. At the moment, he concludes, there is no excessive pressure on the ground, as the current arrangement has no impact on the stability of the country or the situation on the ground.

"This is precisely what takes the pressure off finding another solution quickly. In this sense, the function of the High Representative emerges from this process weakened: its mandate and scope of authority have become the subject of transatlantic negotiations, and the fact that the position has been filled only temporarily (acting), without any visible consequences, speaks volumes about its practical weight today," concludes the Berlin analyst.