EU Officials Condemn Serbia's Hero's Funeral for Convicted War Criminal Mladic
EU leaders express shock over Serbia's military funeral for Ratko Mladic, warning it undermines Belgrade's EU membership bid.
Top European Union officials have voiced outrage over the funeral honors Serbia bestowed on Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb general who died while serving a life sentence for genocide. The ceremony, held in Belgrade on Monday, has cast a fresh shadow over Serbia's aspirations to join the bloc.
Mladic, convicted for his role in the Srebrenica massacre and other atrocities during the 1990s Balkan wars, was buried with military honors. The funeral service was led by Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Porfirije, with army soldiers carrying his flag-draped coffin. Several Serbian government ministers were in attendance, alongside Bosnian Serb nationalist leader Milorad Dodik and Russia's ambassador to Serbia.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa described the images from the funeral as "shocking." In a joint statement, they said the presence of senior officials demonstrated a failure to confront a dark chapter in Europe's history and contradicted the values underpinning Serbia's EU path.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic did not attend, but his son Danilo was present. Vucic, who has sought to balance nationalist sentiment with EU integration, called the event an "emotional outpouring." Serbia's Justice Minister Nenad Vujic defended the state's role, saying authorities merely helped ensure the funeral passed in a "dignified" manner.
The controversy comes as Serbia faces an early parliamentary election, where Vucic relies on support from nationalists who revere Mladic. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos had already canceled a planned visit to Belgrade, calling the funeral a "test" of Serbia's commitment to European values.
The EU is expected to publish its annual enlargement report in late October or early November, which will assess Serbia's progress. When asked about potential consequences for Serbia's membership bid, a spokesperson for von der Leyen said only that the matter was being examined.
Serbia's EU prospects were already strained over concerns about democratic backsliding. Brussels has warned Belgrade it could lose access to billions in EU funds over irregularities in municipal elections. The ruling Serbian Progressive Party's ties to the European People's Party, the EU's largest political grouping, have also drawn criticism, with some lawmakers accusing the EPP of shielding Vucic from accountability.