Brussels: The European Commission president on Tuesday denounced the funeral ceremony held for convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic, known as the 'Butcher of Bosnia.'

According to Anadolu Agency, Ursula von der Leyen expressed her shock on US social media company X, stating, "The images from Ratko Mladic's funeral yesterday in Belgrade were shocking. Ratko Mladic was a convicted war criminal. He was responsible for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity." She criticized the apparent official support and presence of senior Serbian officials at the funeral, describing it as "deeply regrettable."

Von der Leyen highlighted that such actions demonstrate a reluctance to confront a dark chapter in Europe's recent history and contradict the values that underpin Serbia's aspirations towards European Union membership.

During a European Commission news briefing, spokesperson Guillaume Mercier addressed questions regarding the EU's stance on opening another cluster in Serbia's EU accession process. Mercier explained that the European Commission had recommended the opening of the Cluster 3 EU accession negotiating chapters with Serbia in July, following technical assessments. He noted that this recommendation was based on the relevant information available at the time.

Mercier added that discussions on Cluster 3 are currently ongoing with member states and emphasized that these discussions would need to incorporate the latest political developments, such as the recent controversy surrounding Mladic's funeral.

Ratko Mladic, who served as a commander of the Bosnian Serb Army, died in The Hague on August 27 at the age of 84 while serving a life sentence for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. He was notably convicted for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, where over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed during the 1992-1995 Bosnian War.