The United States and European powers remain deadlocked over the appointment of a new international overseer for Bosnia and Herzegovina, deepening a transatlantic rift that threatens stability in the Balkans. A meeting of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) steering board in Sarajevo on Tuesday ended without a consensus, resulting in the immediate removal of the current high representative, German politician Christian Schmidt, and the temporary appointment of his American deputy, Louis Crishock, for two weeks.
Immediate Removal of Schmidt Amid US Pressure
The PIC steering board, comprising ambassadors from the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, the EU, Canada, Japan, and Turkey, agreed that Schmidt should step down at once, yielding to Washington's demands. Initially, a compromise with Germany had allowed Schmidt to remain until Bosnia's October elections, but the Trump administration reneged, insisting on his immediate departure. Kurt Bassuener, co-founder of the Democratization Policy Council, stated: "This was involuntary. This was not Schmidt leaving of his own accord. This was the Americans kicking him out."
US Push for Italian Candidate Stalls
Washington has been aggressively campaigning for 76-year-old Italian diplomat Antonio Zanardi Landi to succeed Schmidt, a choice that has baffled most PIC members. Landi, currently the Sovereign Military Order of Malta's ambassador to the Vatican, has no significant experience in Bosnia, though he was once posted in Serbia. European officials suspect the US push is tied to a $1bn gas pipeline contract, the Southern Interconnection, provisionally awarded to AAFS Infrastructure and Energy, a US firm with ties to Donald Trump. The deal, awarded without tender, has drawn EU warnings that it could jeopardize Bosnia's European integration.
European Counter-Candidates and Compromise Efforts
European powers have resisted Landi, with London, Paris, and Berlin aligning behind French candidate René Troccaz, France's Balkans envoy. Germany proposed Danish diplomat Peter Sørensen, a former EU envoy in Sarajevo, as a compromise. However, the Europeans failed to present a united front, with senior EU officials agreeing to Crishock's temporary role, potentially strengthening Washington's position if no successor is agreed within two weeks.
Bosnia's Fragile Peace and Ethnic Divisions
The standoff underscores Bosnia's continued struggles, defined by the 1992-95 war that killed 100,000 people, mostly Muslim Bosniaks. The US-brokered Dayton peace agreement created a decentralized state with a Bosniak-Croat Federation and a Serb-run Republika Srpska, but ethnic integration has largely failed. The high representative's office, established to oversee the accord, has been reluctant to use its powers, though Schmidt annulled separatist actions by Serb leader Milorad Dodik in 2023, leading to his ouster. However, the Trump administration lifted Biden-era sanctions on Dodik, who subsequently endorsed the Southern Interconnection pipeline.
Pipeline Deal and State Property Dispute
The pipeline's progress hinges on resolving ownership of state property, a lingering post-war issue. Dodik insists Serb-controlled lands belong to Republika Srpska, not the Bosnian state. A Sarajevo official suggested Landi might issue a special law dividing state property to clear the way for the pipeline, though his manifesto does not mention this. AAFS officials have reportedly briefed Bosnian parliamentarians that the issue would be resolved if Landi becomes high representative. The US had threatened to reconsider its role in the international presence if Landi was not appointed.
Jim O'Brien, a former US diplomat, wrote on the European Council for Foreign Relations website that the US policy shift reflects "politically connected Americans seeking to earn money by weakening international institutions," warning that "this behaviour undermines the peace that has held for 30 years."
