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 30 June 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.
Personal life Schwarz-Schilling was married to Marie-Luise ( Jonen); the couple had two children. Christian Schwarz-Schilling died in
Büdingen on 6 April 2026, at the age of 95. == Awards ==