Authors

Kristóf Gosztonyi¹;  ¹ Humboldt University, Germany

Discussion

In July 1994 the European Union Administration of Mostar (EUAM) deployed to the southern Bosnian–Herzegovinian town of Mostar. Its task was to rebuild and reunite the town which—after a vicious eight-month war—was devastated and divided between Bosnian Croats and Bosniaks. The EUAM was generously funded by the EU and member states and staffed by a mixed crowd of EU-nationals seconded by members states. While reconstruction progressed rapidly, reunification was blocked—mainly by Bosnian Croats (backed by Croatia proper) intent on preserving their secessionist entity Herceg-Bosna. In contrast, the Bosniak side welcomed the mission and generally supported its goals. 

Early idealism among EUAM officials turned to frustration as they grasped the depth of resistance among local Bosnian Croat elites. Following the signing of the Dayton Agreement, the EUAM was integrated into the Office of the High Representative (OHR), established to implement the civilian aspects of the peace. Most EUAM staff were taken over by OHR, thus preserving valuable institutional knowledge of the local political context. 

The paper examines how EUAM—and later OHR Mostar—accumulated understanding of the local context over years and whether this accumulated knowledge changed their interactions with local political elites and improved the effectiveness of Dayton implementation in the Southern Region. The paper is based on archival research and interviews and examines events from 1994 until 2002.