In a solemn session commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola emphasized that such a tragedy must “never happen again,” while several Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) drew parallels with the ongoing situation in Gaza and called for urgent intervention.
The plenary session of the European Parliament began with a memorial for the victims of the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica—widely considered the worst atrocity on European soil since World War II. During the Bosnian War (1992–1995), over 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys were killed by Bosnian Serb forces under the command of Ratko Mladić.
In her address, Metsola recalled the horror of Srebrenica, where “thousands of Bosniak Muslims were massacred, disappeared, and forcibly displaced from their homes.”
“Srebrenica must never happen again,” she declared, stressing the need for remembrance and vigilance against all forms of genocide.
Several MEPs used the occasion to highlight Europe’s failure to prevent the Srebrenica genocide and urged the European Union not to repeat its mistakes in the face of ongoing violence in Gaza.
Matjaž Nemec, a Slovenian MEP from the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), criticized the EU’s passive stance:
“Today, Europe is again pretending not to know. Which Palestinian city will need to be written in blood in the pages of human history before we move from words to action?”
Dutch MEP Tineke Strik from the Greens group also stressed Europe’s moral obligation:
“We have a responsibility to learn from that failure, and that is why we must act to prevent the genocide that continues in Gaza.”
The session reflected growing calls within European institutions for the EU to adopt a more proactive and principled stance toward human rights abuses, especially in light of its historical responsibility and global influence.
