Christian Schmidt is currently serving as the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. He has held the position since August 2021, having previously been a Member of the German Bundestag since 1990. Christian Schmidt initially trained as a lawyer, however stopped practicing law to fulfil his duties as a politician.

During his time as a parliamentarian, he was Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture from 2014 to 2018 as well as Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development from 2013 to 2014 and at the Federal Ministry of Defence from 2005 to 2013. Also, while in office, he chaired several Parliamentary Working Groups, including the CSU Working Group for Foreign Policy, Defence, and European Affairs and the CDU/ CSU Parliamentary Group for Defence.