European Council President António Costa has reacted strongly to the funeral ceremony of former Bosnian Serb Army commander Ratko Mladić in Belgrade, describing the images from the event as shocking.
In a statement published on X, Costa recalled that Mladić was a convicted war criminal who was sentenced to life imprisonment for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Mladić died while serving his life sentence for the Srebrenica genocide and other crimes committed during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Costa also expressed concern over the official elements of support and the presence of senior Serbian officials at the funeral ceremony, amid widespread criticism over the glorification of Mladić.
According to Costa, such displays represent a failure to confront one of the darkest chapters of recent European history and contradict the values on which Serbia’s path toward the European Union is based.
His reaction comes amid growing international criticism of the way Mladić was honored at his funeral in Belgrade, despite his conviction for some of the gravest crimes committed in Europe since the Second World War.
