EU, UK express dismay over Mladic funeral in Serbia

EU, UK express dismay over Mladic funeral in Serbia September 8, 2026Both the EU and UK on Tuesday expressed dismay over the funeral in Belgrade, Serbia of late war criminal Ratko Mladic a day prior. Thousands of people, including at least six Serbian ministers, attended the event on Monday which was seen as glorifying Mladic. He received military honors at the funeral, with the head of Serbia's Orthodox Church presiding over the ceremony. The Bosnian Serb commander died last month at The Hague, where he had been imprisoned for life. Mladic was convicted in 2017 of genocide, having orchestrated the July 1995 Srebrenica massacre, where 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed. Mladic, called the "Butcher of Bosnia" by some international press, is a revered as a war hero by many Serbian nationalists in both Serbia and Bosnia. EU leader call Mladic state funeral 'deeply regrettable' EU leaders condemned the funeral, with the bloc weighing an official response to the event. "The elements of official support and the presence of some senior Serbian officials at the funeral are deeply regrettable," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa said in statements posted on X. "They demonstrate a failure to confront a dark chapter in Europe's recent history and contradict the values underpinning Serbia's path towards the European Union," they added. A European Commission spokeperson, in comments to German news agency DPA, said next steps were being evaluated. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas added: "Serbia's path into the European Union requires an unequivocal commitment in fundamental European values and historical truth." Serbia first applied for EU membership in 2009. Serbia's EU candidacy was confirmed by the European Council in 2012. UK summons Serbian envoy The UK, meanwhile, summoned Serbia's charge d'affaires in response to the funeral. "As a military commander, Mladic presided over crimes that are among the worst committed in Europe since the Second World War," the British Foreign Office said in a statement. "The thoughts of the UK Government are with Mladic's victims and their families. They deserve respect, compassion and accountability, not efforts to rewrite proven history," the statement added. The UK said that the "glorification of a convicted war criminal directly undermines trust, fuels division, and is incompatible with the process of reconciliation within Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region." Bosnia expels Serbian diplomats, says Belgrade crossed 'red line' In its reaction to the funeral, neighboring Bosnia expelled two Serbian diplomats, saying Serbia crossed a "red line" in its display of reverence for Mladic. "They crossed every red line with what they did yesterday, the day before, and in the days leading up to the reception," Bosnian Foreign Minister Elmedin Konakovic told a Sarajevo press event. Konakovic had also said he would withdraw most staff from the Bosnian Embassy in Belgrade in an effort to reduce ties to "the lowest possible level" Serbian President Aleksander Vucic was not present at Mladic's funeral, although his son Danilo, did attend the event. Vucic rejected allegations that Mladic was being glorified at the funeral and said the event was put together by Mladic's family rather than the state. However, the presence of soldiers and government ministers at the funeral, as well as the use of a government plane to bring Mladic's body to Belgrade, have sparked outrage. The controversial funeral comes ahead of snap elections next month. Serbia has faced a political crisis in the past two years triggered by the collapse of a concrete canopy at a railway station in Novi Sad. Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google, so you'll always see our verified news first.