The European Commission announced that it is considering possible next steps following the funeral of Ratko Mladić and the participation of government representatives, the military and ministers at the event, while, when asked about the opening of Cluster 3 in Serbia’s negotiations with the European Union, it was stated that member states will have to take into account the “latest political developments” in further discussions.
At the regular briefing of the European Commission in Brussels, Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho recalled the reaction of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who had previously described the scenes from the funeral as “shocking.”
“We saw the footage from the funeral. They speak for themselves. They were shocking, given the level of official support and the participation of ministers and the military,” Pinho said.
As she stated, such scenes demonstrate a “failure of society to confront a dark chapter of recent European history” and are contrary to the values underpinning Serbia’s path toward the European Union.
“They contribute to the glorification of a war criminal,” the Commission spokesperson said.
She recalled that Mladić was responsible for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity and that he died while serving a life sentence for the genocide in Srebrenica and other crimes.
“We stand in solidarity with all the victims, survivors and their families who suffered as a result of war crimes in the countries of the former Yugoslavia,” Pinho said.
When a journalist asked whether the EU would take concrete measures following the funeral, she gave a brief answer:
“We are considering it.”
EC: There is no place for the glorification of war criminals in the EU or candidate countries
Asked about criticism from the Croatian Government over the lack of an earlier reaction from European officials, Pinho said she was not aware that Croatia had formally contacted the President of the European Commission on the matter.
She did, however, reject the claim that the Commission had not reacted before the funeral.
She recalled that the EC had already clearly stated that the glorification of war criminals, genocide denial and revisionism are contrary to the most fundamental European values.
Such phenomena, she said, “have no place either in the European Union or in countries that are candidates for membership.”
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Will von der Leyen visit Belgrade?
The briefing also addressed the announced upcoming visit by the President of the European Commission to the Western Balkan countries.
Asked whether Ursula von der Leyen would also visit Serbia during the tour, the Commission did not want to either confirm or rule out the possibility of a visit to Belgrade.
Pinho said that the Commission President usually visits the Western Balkan countries once a year, but that this year’s tour has not yet been officially announced.
“Nothing has yet been confirmed regarding the visits or which countries will be visited. Discussions are still ongoing,” she said.
Asked additionally whether a visit to Belgrade was still an option, she replied that the tour’s program was still being prepared.
“At this point, I can neither confirm nor deny any detail of such a visit,” Pinho said.
Cluster 3: Latest political developments will also be taken into account
Journalists also asked Commission representatives whether, following the events surrounding Mladić’s funeral, the EC still supports the opening of Cluster 3 in the accession negotiations with Serbia.
European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier recalled that in July the Commission provided a technical assessment of the reforms and steps necessary for the opening of Cluster 3.
That assessment, he said, was made on the basis of the circumstances and relevant elements that existed at that time.
“Discussions on Cluster 3 are now taking place among the member states, and they will have to proceed taking into account the latest political developments that we have witnessed,” Mercier said.
The European Commission, however, did not announce at the briefing that it was withdrawing its previous technical assessment, nor did it announce any specific measure against Serbia.
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Source: Nova ; Foto: EPA-EFE / RONALD WITTEK
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