Senior EU official cancels Serbia trip over planned tribute to Mladic

EU enlargement chief condemns Ratko Mladic ‘glorification’ as incompatible with European values.

Published On 5 Sep 20265 Sep 2026

The European Union’s enlargement chief Marta Kos has cancelled her upcoming visit to Serbia over what she described as the “glorification” of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic following his death. Kos expressed strong opposition to the planned memorial tributes, stating that such commemorations conflict with the core values underpinning the EU expansion process.

She opened this issue on X last Friday, describing the surrounding “glorification” of Mladic as fundamentally at odds with the principles guiding Europe’s enlargement journey.

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Mladic’s body arrived in Belgrade after its transfer from The Hague, where it was met with a guard of honour on Thursday prior to his scheduled burial.

“In light of these circumstances, I have determined not to proceed with my travel plans to Serbia at present,” Kos added.

Known as the “Butcher of Bosnia,” Mladic died on 27 August at age 84 while serving a life sentence in The Hague for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during the Bosnian War.

Although a UN tribunal condemned him in 2017, Mladic remains a celebrated figure among segments of the Serbian public and political elite. Cheers erupted around him as his casket passed through Belgrade on Thursday morning.

N1 television reported that Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić criticized Kos’s decision as “brief yet lacking depth.”

According to the Serbian government, Mladic will receive both state and military honors at his funeral.

President Vučić indicated that the Serbian administration would offer comprehensive logistical and transportation assistance to facilitate attendance at the funeral, anticipating large turnout.

Serbia has sought EU membership accordion since 2014 but negotiations have stalled in recent years under Vučić’s leadership.

Mladic was among the most notorious military commanders of the Bosnian War, which resulted in over 100,000 deaths. His legacy carries deep international condemnation due to the Srebrenika massacre, wherein his forces murdered more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys in July 1995.

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