EU welcomes High Rep's decision, Dodik lashes out

The move drew angry reactions from BiH's Republika Srpska (RS) entity, including renewed secession threats.

On Thursday, Schmidt invoked his executive powers to impose decisions securing funds to repay a €58 million debt owed by the RS to the Slovenian company Viaduct, as well as funds for the purchase of electronic equipment, including scanners and fingerprint readers, as previously proposed by the BiH Central Election Commission to improve oversight of the 2026 general elections.

The debt to Viaduct will be repaid from excise tax revenues that would otherwise go to the RS budget, while over €50 million for election equipment will be allocated from the profits of the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The EU Delegation in BiH confirmed its support for the use of the High Representative's powers, saying it was essential to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.

"Given the continued absence of a State budget for 2025, the use of the High Representative's executive powers to address the urgency on election integrity remains a measure of last resort," the EU Delegation said in a statement.

The UK Embassy in BiH also backed the move, as did some local politicians, including the Federation's Prime Minister Nermin Niksic.

In the RS, however, there was strong backlash. The entity's president, Milorad Dodik, reiterated his claim that Schmidt is not a legally appointed High Representative and had no right to impose any decisions.

He announced continued resistance to their implementation, even though he has already received a first-instance prison sentence of one year for refusing to comply with the High Representative's decisions – a criminal offence under BiH law.

"This is a collapse of European policy in BiH," Dodik said, claiming that Schmidt's intervention to ensure payment of the debt to Viaduct – stemming from an arbitration ruling against BiH, i.e. RS – was aimed at benefitting suspicious individuals.

Dodik questioned whether there was any point in pursuing BiH's EU path at all, saying it had been undermined by certain European countries and the Brussels administration.

He again threatened that the RS would secede from BiH if Schmidt imposed any decision on the status of state property.