Bosnia and Herzegovina OHR future debated amid EU accession hopes

Artist and civic activist Dino Mustafić reflects on three decades of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He notes that the OHR was created by the Dayton Agreement to guide the country from a war‑torn peace to a functional state, citing the contributions of past High Representatives such as Carlos Westendorp, Wolfgang Petritsch, Paddy Ashdown and Valentin Inzko in establishing state symbols, reintegrating displaced persons, reforming security structures and banning genocide denial.

Mustafić argues that the current public debate about a possible withdrawal of the OHR overlooks the fact that Bosnia‑Herzegovina still lacks a political consensus on statehood and remains dependent on international oversight to complete EU‑aligned reforms. He warns that an early departure could leave a political vacuum that domestic elites might exploit, undermining the country's European integration path.