The European Union has officially condemned a highly controversial statement by the Serbian Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Snežana Paunović, who openly declared that if she had been in Slobodan Milošević’s place in 1998, she “would have ethnically cleansed Kosovo.”
From Brussels, European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper made it clear that rhetoric promoting or justifying crimes against humanity has absolutely no place in Europe.
The European Union’s Reaction: A Violation of Core Values
European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper stressed that while the bloc does not typically comment on individual statements, its stance against ethnic cleansing is absolute and non-negotiable.
- Contrary to EU Principles: Such remarks directly contradict the core values of human dignity, reconciliation, accountability, and good neighborly relations upon which the EU is built.
- Breach of Dialogue Commitments: This rhetoric undermines the formal commitments Serbia has made under the EU-facilitated dialogue for the normalization of relations with Kosovo.
- Call for Responsibility: The EU expects all regional leaders to act responsibly, refrain from inflammatory rhetoric, and actively work to foster mutual trust.
What Exactly Did the Serbian Minister Say?
During an appearance on the Serbian television channel Kurir, Paunović—who also serves as the vice president of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS)—was asked how she would have acted in 1998 if she had been in Milošević’s position.
“This is the harshest statement I have ever made in my life. If I were in his place in 1998, I would have ethnically cleansed Kosovo. I would not have liquidated the Albanians… but in such a way that anyone who felt less of a citizen of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia would leave and go to their motherland.”
— Snežana Paunović
Following intense backlash in Kosovo and the wider region, alongside widespread calls from Serbian opposition parties and civil society for her immediate dismissal, Paunović doubled down. She stated on social media that she will not abandon the policies of the SPS, a party she has been a member of since 1992.
Polarization in Belgrade: Dačić Defends the Minister
In stark contrast to the international condemnation, SPS leader and Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dačić came to his colleague’s defense. He dismissed the criticism as “hypocritical,” claiming that the international community has remained silent for years regarding what he alleged to be the “ethnic cleansing of Serbs from Kosovo.”
| European Union Position | Serbian Government / SPS Position | |
| Official Stance | Strong condemnation of ethnic cleansing rhetoric. | Defense of the remarks; accusations of “double standards” against critics. |
| Legal Framework | Points to the legacy of the Hague Tribunal and the prosecution of wartime atrocities. | Relativization of 1990s war crimes; defense of the political legacy of the SPS. |
| Consequences | Warning that such rhetoric severely harms Serbia’s EU integration path. | Facing mounting pressure from local opposition and NGOs for ministerial resignation. |
Historical Context: The 1999 Joint Criminal Enterprise
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague has established through definitive judicial verdicts that the state and military leadership of Serbia (then the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) orchestrated a “joint criminal enterprise” aimed at the violent deportation of hundreds of thousands of Kosovo Albanian civilians to alter the region’s ethnic balance.
For these war crimes, several high-ranking officials were sentenced to long prison terms, including General Nebojša Pavković (22 years in prison), Nikola Šainović, Sreten Lukić, and others. The primary accused, Slobodan Milošević, died in his detention cell in The Hague in 2006 before a final verdict could be delivered.
