Milanović 'worried' for Croats in BiH: Schmidt's decision could be dangerous in the long run

(Patria) - Croatian President Zoran Milanović said today that the decision of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, to unblock the formation of the government in the Federation of BiH could be dangerous for Croats in the long run.

Schmidt two days ago made a temporary decision aimed at unblocking the establishment of the FBiH Government, which meant bypassing the consent of one of the three members of the FBiH leadership, which is necessary for forming the government. Ultimately, it resulted in the formation of a new government.

The Croatian president says that this decision has helped Croats for now, but not in the long term.

"In the long run, if it becomes a precedent, it is dangerous. It doesn't help if you say 'but this applies only once'," Milanović stated.

Milanović was not entirely precise, but he seems to believe that Schmidt's precedent is dangerous because there is no guarantee that Schmidt or some other High Representative will not resort to the same decision in the implementation of some future elections, to the detriment of Croats, as he has now done to the detriment of Bosniaks.

Indeed, the fact that Schmidt brought a temporary solution that removes the SDA from power has now legitimized bypassing the will of any member of the FBiH leadership. However, he introduced an additional mechanism for electing the FBiH Government in case of disagreement by one (vice) president.

Milanović said that Schmidt's decision may have helped Croats for now, but not in the long run:

"He will leave BiH one day, but the problems will remain," he concluded.

Incidentally, earlier, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković welcomed the High Representative's decision and stated that the parties currently in power should focus on reforming the electoral system.

He said that these changes are an urgent task for the authorities in FBiH, but that the election of the member of the BiH Presidency from the Croatian people must also come to the agenda.