International community’s High Representative Christian Schmidt will submit the 63rd regular report to the UN Security Council the contents of which were published on the OHR’s official website. The report covers the period from 16 October 2022 through 15 April 2023.

In the summary of the report, the High Representative said the reporting period was dominated by post-election government formation and disruptive rhetoric and action by the ruling coalition in the Republika Srpska (RS) entity. The establishment of most executive, legislative, and judicial authorities of the State, Federation (FBiH) entity, RS, and cantons after the General Elections of 2 October 2022 concluded with unprecedented speed. However, the President and the two Vice-Presidents of the FBiH have not yet agreed on forming a new government, the summary said.

“I encouraged all political parties to reach a compromise. I emphasized that a long-standing political deadlock in the Federation is detrimental to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and its path to EU integration. The continuation of the current caretaker government would lack democratic legitimacy,” Schmidt wrote.

He recalled that on 23 March 2023, BiH Constitutional Court decided that my decisions of 2 October 2022, which amended the Constitution of the Federation and the Election Law, are in full accordance with the BiH Constitution and relevant international human rights covenants.

The High Representative noted that secessionist rhetoric and action by the RS authorities, namely entity President Milorad Dodik, has intensified in the reporting period.

“It poisons the political climate in the entity and the entire country. RS authorities categorically reject the authority of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the OHR and they pursue a confrontationist attitude towards Western partners,” the peace envoy said.

He informed the UN that on April 24, the RS ruling parties signed a joint statement with concrete steps toward secession. This is a dangerous development. The re-direction, suspension or conditioning of funding are tools which international partners have at hand to respond to this development and which must remain on the table, Schmidt warned.

Furthermore, he pointed out that RS authorities continued to undermine BiH state institutions by obstructing their work and decision-making and claiming constitutional and legal competencies for RS, which belong to the State.

“On 27 February 2022, I suspended a new law on immovable property adopted by the RS National Assembly, which was based on a misinterpretation of the constitutional structure and violated past judiciary rulings,” Schmidt wrote to the UN Security Council.

“I note a clear tendency toward authoritarianism in Republika Srpska, characterized by legislative initiatives which further shrink the space for civil society and media. Bosnia and Herzegovina risks becoming a country divided between authoritarianism in one entity and democracy in the other, the High representative warned.

“I amended the law on the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Center on 20 February, 2023 to broaden and intensify its engagement for memorialization and truth-telling for future generations. Denial of genocide by RS leaders continues to pose a serious problem,” he recalled.

Schmidt also noted that some religious leaders used divisive and sometimes aggressive rhetoric.

“For instance, on 1 March 2023, Serb Orthodox Metropolitan Hrizostom (Rajko Jevic) referred to Bosniaks as ‘Muslims’ and later Muslims as ‘Mohammedans.’ Another example of such rhetoric is the 4 March statement by Reis-ul-ulema of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Husein ef. Kavazovic ‘We must show in every possible way that we are ready to defend the institutions of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. When they fall, as they fell in 1992, we must be ready to protect this country with weapons as well, and, if I may say so, no one should have any dilemmas about whether we should do that or not….’

In his report, he emphasized that smooth budget adoption at all levels is a positive step for BiH’s fiscal sustainability.

“Apart from that and some positive developments in the Brcko District, little progress has been made in implementing the 5+2 Agenda. BiH still faces considerable challenges concerning state and defence property, the rule of law, and fiscal sustainability. I am committed to intensifying OHR’s work in these areas,” the high representative concluded.

You can read the full report on THIS LINK.