High Representative For Bosnia and Herzegovina - Conditions For Closure of The Office of The High Representative

Conditions For Closure of The Office of The High Representative

In February 2008 the Peace Implementation Council set the conditions for closure of the OHR. The most critical issues will be considered objectives to be achieved by the BiH authorities before transition from OHR to a European Union presence can take place. From a long list of known priorities the PIC selected the key ones for transition, for closure of OHR:

• Resolution of State Property
• Resolution of Defence Property
• Completion of the Brčko Final Award
• Fiscal Sustainability of the State - completed as of May 2010, should be continuously sustained
• Entrenchment of the Rule of Law - completed as of May 2010, should be continuously sustained

In addition to these objectives there are also two conditions:

• signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement - completed on 16 June 2008
• positive assessment of the situation in BiH by the PIC Steering Board - to be assessed after all others are completed

Additional non-written condition to be enforced trough the "assessment by the PIC Steering Board" final condition, was adopted later by the US and some EU countries:

• reform of the constitution to comply with ECHR decision of December 2009

Closure of the OHR is considered to be a pre-condition for EU membership and even for candidate status.