Senior EU officials have cautioned Serbia that the handling of Ratko Mladić's funeral will be a decisive moment in its bid to join the bloc. Marta Kos, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, said on Friday that the return of Mladić's remains to Belgrade "will be a very important test" for Serbia's future relationship with the European Union.
Mladić, who died on 27 August at the age of 84 in a UN detention facility in The Hague, was serving a life sentence for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, including his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre and the siege of Sarajevo. His body was flown to Serbia on a government plane on Thursday, with his coffin carried by soldiers and draped in the Serbian flag, according to television footage.
In a post on X, Kos wrote: "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." She added that "the glorification surrounding his death is incompatible with the values on which the EU path is built," and announced she had cancelled her planned visit to Serbia. "The values that underpin our common future are not negotiable."
State honors under scrutiny
Serbia's Minister of Justice, Nenad Vujić, initially said Mladić would be buried with state honors, but President Aleksandar Vučić later stated that the family would decide on the arrangements, and no official plans have been confirmed. Serbian media reports suggest a commemoration ceremony could take place on Saturday, followed by a funeral in a Belgrade suburb on Monday.
Speaking to reporters in Dublin on Friday, Kos stressed that the funeral's handling would be weighed against Serbia's alignment with EU foreign and security policy, a key requirement for membership. "There are many things going on in Serbia for the time being ... and everything could have an impact on how the member states are evaluating Serbia," she said.
Ireland's Minister for European Affairs and Defence, Thomas Byrne, told reporters at a ministerial meeting that "the state funeral would be unacceptable." He acknowledged that a state funeral may not be taking place, but warned: "There may well be senior figures from government memorialising that man. That's not acceptable."
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot echoed those sentiments on X, writing: "It's a step distancing Serbia from EU's fundamental values of respect for human dignity, human rights and the fight against impunity – going in the opposite direction of what is expected from a EU candidate country."
The controversy has escalated to the highest political levels. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković warned earlier this week that granting Mladić the highest honors would be the "equivalent of slamming the door to the European Union yourself."
Two EU officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Euronews that the funeral plans have caused concern at the heart of the European Commission in Brussels, which views the accession of Western Balkan countries as a strategic priority. Diplomatic sources indicated that the mood among European affairs ministers gathered in Ireland was that any state-sponsored commemoration would be completely unacceptable and would inevitably weaken support for Serbia's bid.
One EU diplomat warned that "anyone even considering opening Cluster 3 will think twice," referring to the next phase of accession negotiations covering competitiveness and growth. "It seems very unlikely that anyone would want to push for that now." Earlier this summer, a European Commission push to open Cluster 3 talks hit a wall as member states raised concerns over controversial judiciary reforms in Serbia.
The funeral's optics come at a delicate time for EU-Western Balkans relations. While the bloc has sought to maintain momentum on enlargement, particularly in light of geopolitical tensions, the handling of Mladić's legacy threatens to undermine Serbia's credibility as a candidate. As Kos put it, the values that underpin the EU's common future are not negotiable, and Belgrade's actions in the coming days will be closely watched.
