European Commission warns against glorifying war criminals

The European Commission issued a blunt warning on Monday: glorifying war criminals and denying genocide have no place in the European Union or in countries seeking to join it.

The statement came on the day of the funeral in Belgrade of Ratko Mladic, the convicted wartime military chief of the Bosnian Serbs. The Hague tribunal sentenced Mladic to life in prison for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.

“Any glorification of war criminals, genocide denial and revisionism contradict the most fundamental European values and have no place in the EU or in EU candidate countries,” the commission spokesperson said. “Reconciliation and good neighbourly relations in Western Balkans remain central to building a shared future.”

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Any glorification of war criminals, genocide denial and revisionism contradict the most fundamental European values and have no place in the EU or in EU candidate countries.

The commission described the armed conflicts in the Western Balkans during the 1990s as among the darkest moments in Europe’s recent history. It said the EU stood in solidarity with victims, survivors and families affected by war crimes in the former Yugoslavia.

The EU also said it would continue working with all Western Balkan countries to support reconciliation and regional stability. That includes efforts to find and implement definitive, inclusive solutions to regional and bilateral disputes rooted in the legacy of the past, in line with international law.

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Reconciliation and good neighbourly relations in Western Balkans remain central to building a shared future.