What does the funeral of Ratko Mladić mean for the Balkans going forward?

Magda Anastasijevic, Analyst for the Balkan region at ACLED, said:

“Ratko Mladić’s funeral has become about more than the legacy of one convicted war criminal: the political fallout is now testing Serbia’s already strained relationship with Bosnia and the European Union.

“Ratko Mladić was buried in Belgrade on Monday with military honours, a reflection of the hero status the wartime Bosnian Serb commander still holds among many Serbs, despite his conviction for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. He was sent off  with a three-volley rifle salute, several government ministers attended, as well as high officials from the Republic of Srpska in Bosnia and the Russian ambassador, while the service was held by the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Notably absent was Serbia’s president Aleksandar Vučić, which gave the government the opportunity to deny direct involvement, though his son was in attendance.

“The Wartime Bosnian Serb commander died in prison on August 27 while serving a life sentence for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Mladić was convicted most notably for his role in Srebrenica, where over 7000 Bosnian men and boys were killed in the UN-designated safe area. After his death, informal commemorations ensued across Serb-populated areas of Bosnia, as well as Serbia’s capital Belgrade, where Mladić is still viewed as a hero by many, a sentiment very much promoted by governments both in Belgrade and Banja Luka. 

“Bosnia and Herzegovina reacted quickly to this by withdrawing most of its staff from the embassy in Belgrade and expelling two Serbian diplomats. Marta Kos, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, postponed her planned visit. The European Union is now considering its next steps. The initial reaction from the European Commission condemned the funeral and called government attendance “deeply regrettable”, but harsher actions could result in a definitive political distancing by Serbia away from the European Union.”