High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina

Christian Schmidt serves as the High Representative since August 1, 2021. Prior to that, he held the position of the Federal Minister, Member of the German Bundestag since 1990, Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and rapporteur for the Western Balkan States, and Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture from 17 February 2014 to 14 March 2018.

Before, he acted as the Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development from 2013 to 2014, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Defense from 2005 to 2013, Chairman of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group for Defense 2002-2005, Chairman of the Parliamentary Working Group for Foreign Policy, Defense and European Affairs for the CSU Parliamentary Group 1991- 2002, Representing CSU Parliamentary Group in the Western Balkans advisory circle of Chancellor Helmut Kohl from 1992 to 1998, and President of the German Atlantic Association since 2006.

In the past, he was also appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Hanns-Seidel-Foundation since 2018, Treasurer and member of the Presidency of the European People’s Party, and Vice-Chair of the CSU from 2011 to 2017.

He was born in 1957 in Obernzenn (Franconia) and became a lawyer by profession, holding degree from University of Erlangen and University of Lausanne. He is married and a father of two children. 

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