Decision of High Representative Christian Schmidt to annul two recently adopted laws in Bosnia's Republika Srpska entity sparked reactions in the country, with those in the Serb-majority entity condemning it and saying that Schmidt pose an obstacle to the European path of BiH. Those in the Federation, Bosniak-Croat shared entity, welcomed it, with some expecting the international peace envoy to do more.

Schmidt used his special competencies and passed two decisions on Saturday, blocking two recently adopted laws in Republika Srpska entity – one ignoring the decisions of Bosnia's Constitutional Court and other banning the publication of his decisions in the entity's Official Gazette. He also apssed changes to the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Elmedin Konakovic, Bosnia's foreign minister and the leader of the Justice and Peace Party (NiP) welcomed Schmidt's decision, stressing that this exposed the seriousness of the current situation and an attempt to attack the constitutional order of BiH.

Speaking to N1, Konakovic said it was important that there is no debate on these two laws, which according to him probably did not even have a ground.

As for the changes to the Criminal Code of BiH, which stipulate consequences for those undermining the constitutional order of the country, the FM finds them particularly important.

According to him, there are two possible scenarios to the current situation – political parties from Republika Srpska still have partners in the ruling coalition “ready to build the future of our country, regardless of difficult circumstances.” The second scenario, he added, is a path that might lead Republika Srpska to a full isolation.

The Bosniak-dominant SDA party said commenting on the peace envoy's decisions that they were a much needed but not a sufficient measure.

Without rigorous sanctions and dismissals of responsible individuals, the attacks on the constitutional order of BiH won't stop, according to the SDA.

Nermin Niksic, the Federation entity PM and the leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), assessed the decision as “expected and fully justified.”

Schmidt's decisions are a clear message to all those who think they are above the law and the Constitution but also to all the critics of the international community in BiH and those who “selectively accept or reject its decisions in line with their partial political interests,” Niksic said.

The politics of Milorad Dodik, Republika Srpska President and the SNSD party leader, is not good for anyone, least of all the citizens of Republika Srpska.

“He had to know that he would be punished for years of insulting and belittling BiH institutions, attempts to destroy them, undermining the constitutional and legal order, provocations, subordinating state interests to the interests of the RS entity,” said Niksic, suggesting that Dodik should have been solving financial and other issues that RS is facing instead.

Bosniak member of BiH's tripartite Presidency Denis Becirovic also commented on the decision, saying that it was encouraging but that this is not the end of the crisis, not even the beginning of the end.

“This is the end of the beginning. Weeks and months of uncertainty are laying ahead of us, when decisions will be made about the preserving of peace and survival of the Dayton Peace Agreement,” said Becirovic.

According to him, the international community not must demonstrate the strength and unity, while attacks on the Dayton Peace Agreement are yet to come.

Nikola Spiric, a senior member of the SNSD party was the among the first ones from Republika Srpska to react, noting that the presence of the Office of the High Representative in BiH is in conflict with the country's European path.

He was joined by other politicians from the Serb-majority entity, including the head of the RS entity government Radovan Viskovic, who said that Schmidt today disabled BiH's membership in the EU with his decision and that a “colonial, undemocratic, unconstitutional country” has no place in EU.

“He has only taken BiH with this to a deeper crisis. Republika Srpska will continue doing its work, like before, and Schmidt can entertain Sarajevo with his decisions, so I don't think this will leave any consequences on Republika Srpska,” he stressed, reiterating the stand that Schmidt is not a legal High Representative anyway.

Zeljka Cvijanovic, the Serb member of Bosnia's Presidency and the SNSD senior member, said that Schmidt is a main obstacle to internal dialogue and further progress of the country towards the EU.

“It is on elected representatives of the people to finalise this process, which Republika Srpska is fully committed to, and the only thing Schmidt has to do is to leave BiH,” she stressed.

His steps only push BiH away from EU and disturb sovereign decision-making in the institutions at all levels of authority, she underlined.