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EU's Kos Says Honoring War Criminals Betrays European Values
(MENAFN) Glorifying war criminals, denying genocide and rewriting history have no place within the European Union or in nations aspiring to join it, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos declared Tuesday.
Speaking at a European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg, France, Kos invoked the recent funeral of former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic to underscore her point. "Last year in Srebrenica, I witnessed the burial of seven more victims 30 years after the genocide. Many are still missing, and their families continue to suffer unimaginable pain. It is incomprehensible that anyone responsible for such crimes is honored as a hero," she said.
Kos sharply criticized the public tributes paid to Mladic — who was convicted of genocide and other war crimes — describing the funeral's imagery as "profoundly disturbing" and symptomatic of a broader unwillingness to reckon with the region's violent history.
"They show a failure to confront the past and contradict the values at the heart of European integration," she said.
The commissioner voiced particular alarm over the presence of Serbian government ministers, state officials and military representatives at the service, alongside political leaders from Republika Srpska.
Kos urged Serbian authorities and regional stakeholders to prioritize reconciliation and neighborly cooperation. She made clear that the EU is not asking Serbia to renounce its identity or historical narrative, but rather to engage honestly with its past — including its most painful episodes.
"We can disagree about politics. We can have difficult conversations about reforms and about Serbia's European path, but we cannot negotiate about the dignity of the victims of genocide and war crimes," she added.
Mladic, who once commanded the Bosnian Serb Army, died in The Hague on Aug. 27 at age 84 while serving a life sentence for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. His conviction stemmed from atrocities committed during the 1992-95 Bosnian War, most notably his role in orchestrating the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, where more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were slaughtered.
His remains were flown from The Hague to Belgrade, where he was met with a guard of honor and given a funeral ceremony — a decision that has triggered sharp backlash across Europe.
Speaking at a European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg, France, Kos invoked the recent funeral of former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic to underscore her point. "Last year in Srebrenica, I witnessed the burial of seven more victims 30 years after the genocide. Many are still missing, and their families continue to suffer unimaginable pain. It is incomprehensible that anyone responsible for such crimes is honored as a hero," she said.
Kos sharply criticized the public tributes paid to Mladic — who was convicted of genocide and other war crimes — describing the funeral's imagery as "profoundly disturbing" and symptomatic of a broader unwillingness to reckon with the region's violent history.
"They show a failure to confront the past and contradict the values at the heart of European integration," she said.
The commissioner voiced particular alarm over the presence of Serbian government ministers, state officials and military representatives at the service, alongside political leaders from Republika Srpska.
Kos urged Serbian authorities and regional stakeholders to prioritize reconciliation and neighborly cooperation. She made clear that the EU is not asking Serbia to renounce its identity or historical narrative, but rather to engage honestly with its past — including its most painful episodes.
"We can disagree about politics. We can have difficult conversations about reforms and about Serbia's European path, but we cannot negotiate about the dignity of the victims of genocide and war crimes," she added.
Mladic, who once commanded the Bosnian Serb Army, died in The Hague on Aug. 27 at age 84 while serving a life sentence for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. His conviction stemmed from atrocities committed during the 1992-95 Bosnian War, most notably his role in orchestrating the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, where more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were slaughtered.
His remains were flown from The Hague to Belgrade, where he was met with a guard of honor and given a funeral ceremony — a decision that has triggered sharp backlash across Europe.
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