EU Enlargement Chief Cancels Serbia Visit Over Mladic Tribute

Marta Kos, the European Union's enlargement chief, has canceled her upcoming visit to Serbia due to what she described as the "glorification" of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic following his death. Kos expressed her condemnation of the "glorification surrounding his death" on X, stating that it "is incompatible with the values on which the EU path is built." Mladic's body was transported from The Hague to Belgrade, where it was received with military honors on Thursday, just days before his scheduled burial. Kos stated, "In this context, I have decided not to proceed with my planned visit to Serbia at this time." Mladic, known as the "Butcher of Bosnia," died at the age of 84 on August 27 while serving a life sentence in The Hague for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed during the Bosnian War. Despite his conviction by a UN court in 2017, Mladic is viewed as a hero by some segments of the Serbian public and political establishment, with supporters cheering as his body was transported through Belgrade. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic commented that Kos's explanation was "very short but stupid" and stated that the government would provide "every kind of logistical and transport support," expecting tens of thousands to attend the funeral. Serbia has been in negotiations for EU accession since 2014, although the process has faced delays in recent years under Vucic's leadership. Mladic was a prominent military commander during the Bosnian War, which resulted in over 100,000 deaths, and is closely associated with the Srebrenica genocide, where his forces killed more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys in July 1995.