Von der Leyen criticises Serbia over Mladić burial: “No place in the EU for glorifying criminals”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today criticised the Serbian authorities over the state funeral of war criminal Ratko Mladić, during her annual State of the Union address delivered today in the European Parliament.

“There is no place in the EU for glorifying criminals,” von der Leyen said, adding that she was “horrified by the images of Ratko Mladić’s burial in Belgrade last week”. According to her, Mladić “committed the gravest crimes against humanity”, while “glorifying war criminals simply has no place in the European Union”.

The European Commission president declared that the accession process “will continue on the basis of merit”, but stressed that respect for EU values is “non-negotiable”.

This is a new criticism at the highest level of the EU, coming after yesterday’s debate in the European Parliament on Mladić’s burial.

Source: Danas