CoR Adopts Resolution Condemning Glorification of War Criminals in Serbia

Ratko Mladic mural (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV/DS)

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR), an EU assembly of local and regional representatives, unanimously adopted the Resolution on European Values and War Crimes Glorification at its Oct. 14 plenary session in Brussels.

According to HINA, the resolution – which calls for the urgent protection of European values and condemns the glorification of convicted war criminals in Serbia – was proposed by the CoR’s nine Croatian members. The advisory body itself comprises 329 politicians from the EU’s 27 member countries.

“There is no EU without European values. By honoring Ratko Mladic, Serbia is grossly violating those values,” said Nikola Dobroslavic, a CoR member from the Croatian Democratic Union, and recalled that the recently-passed Mladic died while serving a life sentence in The Hague for the 1995 Srebrenica genocide.

“This resolution condemns the celebration of war criminals as anti-European and anti-civilizational behavior and calls for measures against Serbia,” Dobroslavic said, adding that “Serbia still has the Committee’s support on its European journey but cannot join the EU with such behavior.”

Specific measures the EU should levy against Serbia are not listed in the resolution.

Josko Klisovic, of Croatia’s Social Democratic Party, also underlined that Mladic was convicted for committing the gravest of crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.

“It is shameful and unacceptable that the Serbian authorities participate in, tolerate and encourage giving state and military honors to war criminals. That is an insult to the victims, an insult to European values, which undermines any genuine attempt at reconciliation in our region. Europe cannot remain silent,” he stated, adding: “Silence means being an accessory.”

The CoR will forward its resolution to the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council.