BRUSSELS – The glorification of war criminals, the denial of genocide and historical revisionism have no place in either the European Union or its member states, stated EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, it has been published today on X by Croatian MEP Željana Zovko. Željana Zovko clarified that she received a reply by Kos to the letter that “we sent to the European Commission”, due to the glorification of Ratko Mladić, sentenced to life imprisonment for genocide, and the presence of senior Serbian officials at his funeral.
“The European Commission, including myself personally, has been clear that any glorification of war criminals, genocide denial and revisionism is fundamentally incompatible with these values. It has no place in the EU or in EU candidate countries. We are standing in solidarity with all victims, survivors and their families”, Kos noted.
She underlined that the elements of official support and the presence of some senior Serbian officials at the funeral of Ratko Mladic are therefore deeply regrettable”.
According to Kos, “they demonstrate a failure to confront a dark chapter in Europe’s recent history”.
“The Commission expects the Serbian authorities, as well as all actors in the Western Balkans, to respect the dignity of the victims, act responsibly, and to work towards a meaningful reconciliation and good neighborly relations. These are central to building a peaceful and prosperous shared future in the region”, she remarked.
Kos reminded that “enlargement is a merit-based process, with progress assessed across all EU policies and fundamentals”.
“Late October, we will present our next assessment as part of the annual enlargement report, and developments relevant to Serbia’s EU path will be reflected in it. Further decisions on concrete steps in the accession process are in the hands of the Council”, she concluded.
