Ursula von der Leyen condemns the presence of Serbian officials at Ratko Mladic’s funeral: ”Glorifying Mladic contradicts Serbia’s path toward the EU”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen strongly condemned the official support and participation of senior Serbian representatives in the funeral of former military commander Ratko Mladic, held in Belgrade. Mladic died in prison, where he was serving a life sentence for the Srebrenica genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

In a message published on the X platform, von der Leyen described the images from the ceremony as “shocking” and reaffirmed the former military leader’s responsibility for the atrocities committed during the wars in the former Yugoslavia. She stressed that Mladić had been definitively convicted of his crimes and that he died while serving his sentence.

The head of the European executive specifically criticized the presence of Serbian officials at the funeral, considering it evidence of the failure of the authorities in Belgrade to confront one of the darkest chapters in Europe’s recent history. According to her, this attitude contradicts the fundamental values of the European Union and harms Serbia’s European path.

Ursula von der Leyen’s message concluded with a tribute to the victims of the crimes in the former Yugoslavia and a reaffirmation of solidarity with their families.

Read also Tributes to Ratko Mladić in Serbia, despite EU warnings about glorifying war criminals