OHR Press Releases

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Office of the High Representative (OHR)/ European Union Special Representative (EUSR) take note of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Council of Ministers’ adoption of the State-level Draft Law on Higher Education on 1 June.

Meeting representatives of the Srebrenica families' associations in Sarajevo late yesterday, the High Representative, Christian Schwarz-Schilling, underlined his long-standing close personal interest in the efforts of the people of Srebrenica to pursue justice.

OHR has followed reports of recent comments of PM Dodik concerning referendums, self-determination and other issues. It is important to avoid any confusion on this issue. The legal situation is clear. The Republika Sprska, an entity within the BiH State, has no jurisdiction to organize a referendum on separation. This would be in violation of the B [...]

In his first official visit to Belgrade, the High Representative today met separately with Serbian President Boris Tadic, Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, and Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic. During his meetings he highlighted the need for continued cooperation with the ICTY, improving trade and economic links between the two countries a [...]

The Principal Deputy High Representative Lawrence Butler contacted RS Prime Minister Dodik today for clarification following press reports in which the RS Prime Minister is reported to have talked about new referenda in the region.

The High Representative/EU Special Representative today expressed disappointment at the lack of progress in police reform: "I was extremely disappointed by the news that the RS representatives have effectively withdrawn from the police restructuring process by downgrading their position in the Police Directorate Steering Board to that of observer s [...]

The High Representative welcomed the Council of Ministers decision to take forward the Parliamentary Conclusions and Establish a State Commission to Investigate and Establish the truth on suffering of Serbs, Croats, Bosniaks, Jews and Others in Sarajevo 1992-1995. He also called on BiH parliamentarians not to further prevent the work of the Parli [...]

The High Representative Dr Christian Schwarz-Schilling today urged top officials from Mostar to speed up the pace of integration in the city, outlining three key issues that require urgent attention prior to the next meeting of the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board towards the end of June.

The High Representative, Christian Schwarz-Schilling, on Wednesday identified laws that BiH parliamentarians should enact in the 100 days before the October elections in order to demonstrate to voters and to the International Community that they are serious about improving the lives of citizens and taking BiH further along the path of Euro-Atlantic [...]

“It is clear that local authorities in Mostar have not assumed their political responsibilities," the High Representative, Christian Schwarz-Schilling said today. "Mostar’s unification process is being held hostage by political parties and individual politicians more interested in advancing their campaign ambitions than the interests of the City,” [...]