German Foreign Ministry: Working to reach consensus on new high representative in BiH

High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, resigned in May 2026 but remained in office until a successor is appointed in order to ensure continuity in the work of the Office of the High Representative.

After no agreement was reached in early June on a successor to Christian Schmidt, a new session of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council, where the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina will again be selected, is expected to take place at the end of June.

Germany, according to the statement given to FENA, is engaged with European and international partners in efforts to reach an agreed solution.

''Together with our European and international partners, we are working to achieve consensus. It remains crucial that a European expert on the region and the country be appointed, someone who can mediate between the interests of all relevant actors. The German government values the role of the Euro-Atlantic partnership in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region,'' the spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry said.

Talks on appointing a successor to the High Representative at the session of the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board, held on June 3 and 4 in Sarajevo, stalled due to disagreements among key international partners, primarily between the United States and several European countries, which supported different candidates.

Following the unsuccessful session, it was announced that consultations would continue with the aim of reaching a consensus by the end of June and enabling the handover of duties to the new High Representative.

The Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council, composed of ambassadors from leading Western countries and international organizations, oversees the implementation of the civilian aspects of the Dayton Agreement, including the appointment of the High Representative as the key international authority in Bosnia and Herzegovina.