U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson has called on the European People’s Party (EPP) to revoke the Serbian Progressive Party’s (SNS) status as an associate member, following the EPP’s criticism of events surrounding the funeral of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić in Belgrade.
Wilson welcomed the EPP’s statement condemning the conduct of the Serbian ruling party and said the SNS should no longer retain its associate membership in the European political family.
“It is time for SNS’s associate status to be fully revoked! SNS is against Western civilization,” Wilson wrote on X.
The EPP’s Political Assembly said on September 29 that the scenes surrounding Mladić’s funeral were “deeply disturbing” and that the participation of senior Serbian officials, as well as public and state honours, could not be ignored as part of the party’s ongoing scrutiny of SNS.
The SNS has held associate-member status in the EPP since 2016. The EPP launched a scrutiny process concerning the party in September 2025, and the process remains ongoing. According to Euronews, EPP officials do not expect a decision before Serbia’s parliamentary elections scheduled for October 25.
Wilson had previously sent a letter to EPP President Manfred Weber calling for the associate-member status of SNS to be revoked and for ties between the two parties to be severed. He argued that the decision should be made before the Serbian elections.
The EPP has not yet formally decided to suspend or expel SNS. Under EPP rules, such a move would require a proposal by the party’s Presidency or by seven member parties from at least five different countries, followed by a decision of the Political Assembly.
SNS has said it takes concerns expressed by its EPP partners seriously and maintains that continued cooperation is important for political dialogue between Serbia and European partners.
