EU Commissioner cancels trip
Mladić case: Von der Leyen “shocked” about Serbia
09/08/2026 – 10:52 amReading time: 2 minutes
Serbia celebrates convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić. The EU Commission is distancing itself from the official candidate country.
Head of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen has expressed “shock” at the images of the huge celebrations at the funeral of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić in Belgrade. “He was responsible for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. He died while serving a life sentence for the Srebrenica genocide and other crimes,” the Commission President wrote on the online platform X on Tuesday.
The fact that there was official support for the funeral and that some high-ranking Serbian officials were present at the funeral was “deeply regrettable,” von der Leyen added. This contradicts the values that are necessary for Serbia’s path to the EU.
Mladić died in custody at the end of August at the age of 80. The Bosnian Serb general had been found guilty of genocide by the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. At that time, around 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed after Bosnian Serb troops U.N. had taken over a settlement designated as a protection zone. He was also convicted of the year-long siege of Sarajevo, in which around 10,000 people were killed. “Our thoughts are with all victims of the crimes committed in the countries of the former Yugoslavia,” von der Leyen wrote.
EU Commissioner cancels trip to Belgrade
Serbia has been an official candidate for EU membership since 2012. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos canceled a visit to Serbia planned for this week because of Mladić’s honor.
In any case, the negotiations have been stalling for years because the nationalist government in Belgrade is repeatedly accused of violating the EU’s fundamental values. She also maintains closer relationships with Russia and Chinawhat in Brussels and Berlin has raised doubts about the seriousness of accession efforts.
