PIC Steering Board to meet next week: Will US and EU's opposing views extend Schmidt's mandate?

(Patria) - The Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) will hold a session on June 3 and 4, where, in addition to the current political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the issue of the successor to High Representative Christian Schmidt will also be addressed.

Schmidt resigned on May 10 and will remain in office until the election of a new High Representative.

It is no secret that there are certain disagreements between the US administration and several EU countries regarding the new High Representative, which was also evident during the UN Security Council session on May 12.

Italian diplomat Antonio Zanardi Landi, who does not enjoy the support of some European countries, has been mentioned as one of the possible candidates to replace Schmidt.

The PIC session comes at a time when there is increasing talk about resolving the issue of state property, and although it was expected that the High Representative would intervene again, the international community expects domestic political actors to adopt a solution regarding state property in the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH. Unofficially, there is an idea to keep part of the property at the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina and transfer part to the entities, which raises the question of whether it is then state property.

Schmidt stated in several of his addresses that he had faced certain pressures, mostly from the US, after which he resigned.

The authorities of the RS entity are actively advocating for the closure of the OHR, while the HDZ states that it should be relocated. Some former High Representatives have joined the campaign, while pro-Bosnian parties state that the conditions for closing the OHR have not been met.

Whether the turmoil within the PIC Steering Board will extend Schmidt's stay in BiH will be known after the regular session of the PIC Steering Board concludes.

The members of the PIC Steering Board are: France, Italy, Japan, Canada, Germany, Russia, which has not participated in the meetings of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) since 2021, and suspended funding for the OHR in 2022, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Presidency of the European Union (after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, this role was taken over by the European External Action Service), the European Commission, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), represented by Turkey.

The Steering Board provides political guidance to the High Representative, and the Steering Board meets at the level of political directors twice a year.

Regarding the election of a new High Representative, the authorities of the RS entity are seeking Russia's support for the closure of the OHR, and the campaign has been actively pursued since Schmidt's arrival in 2021.