Senior EU official Marta Kos has cancelled her upcoming visit to Serbia, citing the "glorification" of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic following his death.
Kos stated on X (formerly Twitter) that the "glorification surrounding his death is incompatible with the values on which the EU path is built." Mladic's body was flown from The Hague to Belgrade and received with a guard of honour on Thursday, ahead of his scheduled burial.
"In this context, I have decided not to proceed with my planned visit to Serbia at this time," Kos added.
Mladic, known as the "Butcher of Bosnia," died at age 84 while serving a life sentence for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes during the Bosnian War. Despite his conviction by a UN court in 2017, he is revered as a hero by some in Serbia.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic reportedly called Kos's explanation "very short but stupid." The Serbian government has stated it will provide logistical and transport support for the funeral, which is expected to draw tens of thousands of attendees.
Serbia has been in EU accession negotiations since 2014, but the process has slowed in recent years. Mladic was a prominent military commander during the Bosnian War, which resulted in over 100,000 deaths. His legacy is heavily associated with the Srebrenica genocide, where his forces killed more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys in July 1995.
