EU warns Serbia: funeral of Ratko Mladić is an important test for accession

The European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, warned Serbia that the way Belgrade manages the funeral of war criminal Ratko Mladić constitutes an important test and may affect Serbia's accession process to the European Union. Mladić, the former military commander of the Bosnian Serbs, died last week at the age of 78 in a Serbian prison, where he was serving a life sentence imposed by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. The funeral raises delicate questions for the Serbian authorities, as Mladić was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the Srebrenica genocide. Serbia has been a candidate for EU accession for years and its relations with the bloc depend in part on its commitment to European values, including international justice.