EU Commissioner Says Glorification of War Criminals Has No Place in Candidate Countries

European Commissioner Marta Kos told European lawmakers that the glorification of war criminals has no place in countries seeking to join the European Union, according to Anadolu Agency.

"We cannot negotiate about the dignity of the victims of genocide and war crimes," Kos was quoted as saying, addressing European lawmakers in remarks linked to the funeral of Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb military commander convicted by an international tribunal of genocide and other war crimes committed during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war.

Mladic was found guilty by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia of orchestrating the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, in which more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed, as well as other atrocities during the siege of Sarajevo. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Kos's comments reflect the European Commission's position that EU candidate countries in the Western Balkans must reckon with the legacy of the 1990s conflicts as part of their path toward membership. The bloc has repeatedly stressed that reconciliation and accountability for war crimes remain central conditions in the accession process for countries in the region.

Anadolu Agency did not provide further details on the specific circumstances of the funeral or additional remarks made by Kos during the session with lawmakers.