European Union Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos has warned Serbia about plans for a state and military funeral for Ratko Mladic, stressing that glorifying a war criminal runs counter to the fundamental values of the European Union.
Speaking at the Bled Strategic Forum, Kos described Mladic as a war criminal sentenced to life imprisonment for genocide and crimes against humanity, referring in particular to his role in the Srebrenica massacre.
"The glorification of Ratko Mladic as a war criminal is contrary to fundamental European values and has no place in the European Union, nor in countries that aspire to become part of the union," Kos told reporters.
She added that she will closely follow the situation in Serbia and that the way events unfold will be taken into account in the further assessment of the country in the European integration process.
"I hope that the government in Belgrade understands what is at stake," said the European Commissioner, adding that developments around the Mladic case will be part of her assessment.
Kos' statements come after Serbia's Justice Minister, Nenad Vujic, had previously stated that Mladic has the right to be treated with all military and state honors.
Ratko Mladic was the Chief of the General Staff of the Bosnian Serb Army during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, from 1992 to 1995. The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague sentenced him to life imprisonment in 2017, with the sentence confirmed in 2021.
Under his leadership, Bosnian Serb forces carried out the Srebrenica massacre in July 1995, where an estimated 8,700 Bosniaks, mostly men and boys, were killed.
International courts have classified the mass killing of Bosniaks in Srebrenica as genocide. The event is considered one of the worst crimes committed in Europe since the end of World War II.
The issue of Mladic's burial with state honors has caused strong reactions, while the European Commissioner's statements indicate that this development may also affect the way Brussels will assess Serbia's stance on war crimes and European values.
