Senior EU officials have issued a warning to the Serbian government over the funeral of war criminal Ratko Mladić, with the bloc’s enlargement chief saying that it “will be a very important test” in Belgrade’s bid to join the European Union and its future path.
"Ratko Mladić was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The return of his remains to Belgrade reminds Europe of the darkest pages in our recent history," European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos wrote on X.
"The glorification surrounding his death is incompatible with the values on which the EU path is built," she added, announcing she had cancelled her planned visit to Serbia. "The values that underpin our common future are not negotiable."
Mladić died on 27 August aged 84 in a UN detention facility in The Hague, where he was serving a lifetime sentence for crimes against humanity related to the Srebrenica massacre and the siege of Sarajevo.
His body was returned to Serbia in a government plane on Thursday, with his coffin carried by soldiers and wrapped in a Serbian flag, shown in images broadcasted on television.
