Following the funeral of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić in Serbia, which was attended by thousands and included elements of official support, Renew Europe has initiated a European Parliament plenary debate on the glorification of war crimes in the country.
Mladić was convicted of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity by the UN tribunal in The Hague. The presence of senior Serbian officials and military elements at his funeral has drawn strong criticism from EU leaders and raised fresh questions about Serbia’s commitment to the values underpinning its EU path.
Liberals have pushed for the debate to send a clear message to the Serbian government: glorifying convicted war criminals is incompatible with European values and should have consequences for Serbia’s EU accession process and EU funding.
Helmut Brandstätter MEP (NEOS, AT), Renew Europe’s Shadow Rapporteur on the European Parliament report on Serbia, commented after the debate:
“Anyone who honours a convicted genocidaire cannot be part of the European Union. Serbia belongs in Europe and should become part of the EU. But as long as Vučić and his regime glorify Mladić, that cannot happen. I also call on the EPP to reconsider its affiliation with Vučić's party, the SNS. We owe it to democratic civil society in Serbia.”
The debate follows Renew Europe’s continued focus on Serbia’s democratic trajectory, including concerns over the rule of law, judicial independence, media freedom, human rights, corruption and the use of spyware. The European Parliament has also opened a specific procedure on the funeral and glorification of war crimes in Serbia.
Brandstätter added:
“Mr Vučić has made it clear that he has no plans to retire and will use any trick or loophole to stay in power. The government's recent political violence indicates that he is willing to do whatever it takes. The EU should not finance the Serbian government or state. Instead, we should support the country's democratic actors who share European values and are fighting for Serbia's EU future.”
Liberals commemorate the victims of genocide and war crimes. We owe it to them to defend human dignity and reject the glorification of war criminals.