The state-supported funeral of Ratko Mladić in Belgrade this week has sharpened a question in Brussels: Can a country pursue EU membership while honoring a convicted war criminal? For many observers, the event shows that Serbia’s accession process has not simply stalled; its political momentum has largely disappeared.
“For too long, the EU has kept treating Serbia as a normal candidate country,” Engjellushe Morina of the European Council on Foreign Relations told DW, citing Belgrade’s continued democratic and rule-of-law backsliding.
Naim Leo Besiri of Serbia’s Institute for European Affairs said: “The ruling majority in Serbia has not performed anything that was promised on the reform agenda during the last five years.”
Serbia Is Drifting Further From the EU
Both experts noted that Belgrade has refused to join EU sanctions against Russia. Democratic standards have declined under nationalist President Aleksandar Vučić, while relations with Kosovo remain tense.
Despite being sentenced to life in prison by an international criminal tribunal established by the UN for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, Mladić was buried in Belgrade on Monday with military honors and the participation of government representatives. Vučić did not attend, but his government facilitated and defended the public mourning.
Thousands Gather for Mladić’s Funeral
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Brussels responded with unusual force. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the images shocking, while European Council President António Costa condemned the glorification of war criminals. Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos canceled a planned visit to Serbia.
Was the EU Too Accommodating?
Both Morina and Besiri argue that this response is insufficient. They contend that Vučić has enjoyed too much latitude for too long, being treated as an indispensable partner who could preserve stability in the Western Balkans and keep Serbia aligned with the West despite his disregard for fundamental European values.
Besiri said Serbian civil society had warned Brussels for years about attacks on media freedom, democratic institutions and the rule of law, but that the EU largely ignored those warnings.
Economic relations show the depth of the EU’s ties with Serbia. The bloc is the country’s largest trading partner, investor and financial donor. Politically, however, Belgrade has developed close ties with Moscow.
One argument for maintaining relations with Serbia is that stronger pressure could drive the country closer to Russia or China.
European Economic Ties, Close Political Links With Moscow
Morina accepts that isolating Serbia would be risky, but says the EU has options between accommodation and disengagement. She argues that Brussels should continue engaging Serbian society while requiring Vučić to make explicit political choices.
Besiri said neither Russia nor China could replace the European market. In his view, Vučić uses those countries as leverage to deter Brussels from taking firmer action.
Both researchers see a strategic logic behind the current approach: Vučić benefits from cooperation without implementing the necessary reforms, while Brussels can maintain that Serbia remains connected to Europe.
Why Financial Pressure Has Limits
The EU has not stood entirely idle and has begun applying financial pressure. Further payments under the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans have been withheld because of concerns over judicial independence.
Besiri doubts that this will alter Vučić’s calculations. He argues that sweeping funding cuts could harm the public more than the political elite and calls for targeted measures against officials responsible for democratic backsliding and the misuse of state institutions.
Can Elections Bring a Turning Point?
The early parliamentary election on October 25 could put Vučić’s political model to the test. After 12 years as president, he now seeks to remain Serbia’s dominant political figure as the next prime minister.
Besiri said the Serbian opposition remained fragile and that “it is extremely difficult to win democratically in undemocratic elections.”
Neither expert expects a single election to repair Serbia’s institutions or fundamentally transform its relationship with the EU.
Regional Reconciliation Remains Out of Reach
Reconciliation in the region appears even further away. According to Besiri, Serbia must first acknowledge its role in the wars of the 1990s and accept established facts about the crimes committed. Instead, narratives that portray Serbs solely as victims remain deeply rooted in Serbian politics, education and media.
“What has been happening recently is basically the reverse of everything that has been built for so many years,” Morina said.
Mladić’s funeral did not create this trend, she added. It merely exposed once again how far Serbia remains from both regional reconciliation and EU membership.
