Vienna to Assess Austria’s three-Decade Role in Bosnia and Herzegovina Peace Process
Thirty years after the Dayton Peace Agreement brought an end to the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a high-level panel discussion in Vienna on December 2, 2025, will examine Austria’s sustained engagement as a regional peace actor. The event, hosted by the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of Austria in the Alois Mock Saal (Minoritenplatz 8, 1010 Vienna) from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, will analyze the impact of Austria’s contributions to stability in BiH and draw lessons for contemporary peacebuilding efforts.
From 1996 to 2004,Austria deployed troops as part of the NATO-led Implementation Force (IFOR) and subsequent Stabilisation Force (SFOR). Austria also provided two High Representatives to Bosnia and Herzegovina: Wolfgang Petritsch (1999-2002) and Valentin Inzko (2009-2021).Despite this involvement, Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to navigate meaningful political and social challenges.
The event will begin with a welcome from Hannes Swoboda, President of the International Institute for peace (IIP), followed by an opening speech from Federal Minister for European and International Affairs, Beate Meinl-Reisinger.
A panel featuring Wolfgang Petritsch, former High Representative for Bosnia and herzegovina; Armina Galijas, Assistant Professor at the University of Graz; Andreas Herdina, former member of the Office of the High Representative (1996-1999); Joseph Marko, former International Judge of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1997 - 2002); and Dženeta Karabegović, Associate Professor at the university of Salzburg, will then explore Austria’s impact on BiH’s path toward stability. Vedran Džihić, Senior Researcher at the Austrian Institute for International Affairs (oiip), will moderate the discussion.
The event is organized by the International Institute for Peace (IIP), the Austrian Institute for International Affairs (oiip), the University of Graz, and the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of Austria.
