Christian Schwarz-Schilling

Christian Schwarz-Schilling (19 November 19306 April 2026) was a German politician, businessman, philanthropist, and media and telecommunications innovator. A member of the Bundestag from 1976 to 2002, he was Federal Minister of Post and Telecommunications from 1982 to 1992 and served as High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2006 to 2007.

Life and career Christian Schwarz-Schilling was born on 19 November 1930 in Innsbruck.

Under Schwarz-Schilling, the OHR seemed to soften its invasiveness, thanks to pressures from the Council of Europe and a growing EU involvement. The number of OHR legislative initiatives and of dismissed officials lowered. The EU decision to shut down the OHR by June 2007 unexpectedly arose disappointment and concern in the Bosnian population, NGOs, and politicians. During his time in office, nationwide research by Oxford Research International, which Schwarz-Schilling oversaw, showed that the silent majority of Bosnia and Herzegovina was significantly more tolerant and forward-looking than the politicians who represented them. It also showed that several policies implemented by national politicians and the international community were out of step with what the population wanted.

Slovak diplomat Miroslav Lajčák replaced Schwarz-Schilling – who was originally intended to be the last holder of the post – on 2 July 2007. Lajčák retook a more intrusive approach in the work of the OHR, making it seem that apparently decreased intrusiveness was mostly due to the "weak personality" of Schwarz-Schilling.