EU lawmakers condemn Serbia’s military-honoured funeral for convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic

In a European Parliament session, Marta Kos described the images from Ratko Mladic’s funeral as profoundly unsettling, noting the participation of Serbian state officials, military personnel and Republika Srpska leaders. The ceremony, held at Belgrade’s Topcider Cemetery and led by Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Porfirije, featured full military honours for the man serving a life sentence for genocide. Kos reminded Serbia of its obligations under the EU accession process, stating that honoring war criminals contradicts core EU principles.

Croatian MEP Davor Ivo Stier blamed President Aleksandar Vucic for the honours and called for a halt to EU funds to those who still echo Milosevic’s politics. Other parliamentarians, including Tonino Picula and Helmut Brandstatter, questioned the continuation of EU-Serbia negotiations and urged parties to cut ties with Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party.