SARAJEVO — Ambassadors from the U.S., UK, France, Germany, Italy, the EU, Canada, Japan, and Turkey are scheduled to convene in Sarajevo on Tuesday to work towards an agreement on a new high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. This meeting follows a previous attempt in early June, which concluded without a consensus.

US officials have called for the removal of the current high representative, Christian Schmidt, and the Trump administration has campaigned for Antonio Zanardi Landi to take over the position. The United States has indicated it will reconsider its role in the international presence in Bosnia if Landi is not appointed. Landi, an Italian diplomat, currently serves as the ambassador to the Vatican for the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and is 76 years old.

Landi circulated a manifesto among Peace Implementation Council (PIC) steering board members that promises not to overturn decrees made by previous high representatives. The manifesto also states that he would consult the PIC before undertaking substantial actions and would not unilaterally close the office of the high representative. "My key points and focus manifesto that has been circulated among PIC steering board members was perfectly in line with the European positions," Landi said. He added, "It would be unwise for me to step into the heated debate."

Officials from London, France, and Berlin support René Troccaz as a candidate for high representative. Troccaz is France's Balkans envoy. Christian Schmidt, the current high representative and a German politician, annulled separatist actions by Milorad Dodik last year. Dodik was removed from his position as president of the Republika Srpska in September 2024.

The Trump administration lifted sanctions that the Biden administration had imposed on Milorad Dodik and his associates. The Biden administration had sanctioned them for corruption and what it described as divisive ethno-nationalistic rhetoric. Additionally, the Trump administration unveiled a policy for the Balkans indicating that US actions in the region would be guided by the need to pursue a direct return for American companies. Milorad Dodik approved the Southern Interconnection gas pipeline project, a $1 billion contract that was provisionally awarded to AAFS Infrastructure and Energy, a US-based company.

Former US diplomat Jim O'Brien stated that the US policy announcement reflected politically connected Americans seeking to earn money by weakening international institutions. "This behaviour undermines the peace that has held for 30 years," O'Brien said. The European Union warned that awarding the pipeline deal without a tender could jeopardize Bosnia's long-term European integration.

Why It Matters

The appointment of a new high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina is a point of contention among international powers, with implications for the region's governance and stability. The office of the high representative was established to oversee the Dayton peace deal, which was brokered by the US in late 1995 following the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia that resulted in 100,000 deaths. Bosnia is divided into a Bosniak-Croat Federation and a Serb-run entity known as the Republika Srpska. Milorad Dodik insists that resources on Serb-controlled property should belong to the Republika Srpska rather than the Bosnian state.