Thousands of people gathered in Belgrade on September 7 for the funeral of former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic, whose death and public commemoration have renewed divisions over Serbia's wartime past and strained ties with the European Union.

Mladic, who died on August 27 aged 84 while serving a life sentence in The Hague, was convicted of genocide over the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, as well as crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during Bosnia's 1992-95 war. His convictions were upheld on appeal in 2021.

His coffin was displayed earlier in the day at the Serbian Orthodox Church of St Luke in Belgrade's Vidikovac district, where large crowds gathered to pay their respects. Serbian flags and photographs of Mladic were carried by mourners as they made their way towards Topcider cemetery.

The funeral service was conducted by Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Porfirije, who said Mladic's name would remain deeply embedded in the memory and prayers of the majority of Serbian Orthodox believers.

Porfirije said many Serbs viewed Mladic as a soldier and commander who had borne responsibility for the defence and survival of his people during the Bosnian war, while also acknowledging the suffering, deaths and trauma caused by the conflict.

Mladic was buried with military honours in a tomb at Topcider cemetery, beside his daughter Ana, who died in 1994. His coffin was covered by the flags of Serbia and Republika Srpska, the Serb entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Political figures attend

President Aleksandar Vucic did not attend the funeral, saying he was hosting Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, but his son Danilo was among those present.

Several government ministers also attended, including Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic, Justice Minister Nenad Vujic, Culture Minister Nikola Selakovic, Public Investments Minister Darko Glisic, Minister without Portfolio Nenad Popovic and Labour Minister Milica Djurdjevic Stamenkovski.

Other Serbian political figures attending included former minister and intelligence chief Aleksandar Vulin and Miloš Jovanovic, leader of the New Democratic Party of Serbia.

Milorad Dodik, leader of the ruling coalition in Republika Srpska, and Banja Luka Mayor Drasko Stanivukovic also paid tribute.

Russia's ambassador to Serbia, Aleksandar Botsan-Kharchenko, was also present.

The turnout followed days of public tributes to Mladic, who remains a hero to some Serbs who regard him as a wartime commander who defended their people. Murals dedicated to him have appeared in Belgrade and elsewhere in Serbia, while supporters at Sunday's Red Star Belgrade-Partizan Belgrade football derby chanted his name and displayed a banner bearing his image.

Critics have condemned the tributes as glorification of a convicted war criminal.

Green-Left Front MP Dobrica Veselinovic said the funeral and displays of support for Mladic were a source of shame, while Movement of Free Citizens MP Vladimir Pajic criticised the decision to give state and church honours to him.

EU warns over Mladic glorification

The funeral has also added to tensions between Serbia and Brussels.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos cancelled a planned visit to Belgrade, saying the public glorification surrounding Mladic's death was incompatible with the values underpinning Serbia's EU membership bid.

European Commission spokesman Christian Wiegand said on September 7 that Mladic was a convicted war criminal who had been found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity.

"Any glorification of war criminals, denial of genocide and revisionism are contrary to the most basic European values and have no place in the EU or candidate countries," the Commission said, according to RTS.

Asked whether the participation of Serbian ministers and representatives of the army could affect EU policy towards Belgrade, including funding or the accession process, Commission officials did not give a specific answer.

"We have conveyed our position very clearly to the Serbian authorities. We will see what the next steps will be," Commission spokeswoman Paola Pinho said at a press conference on September 7.

Serbia has been an EU candidate since 2012, but its accession process has made limited progress in recent years amid disputes over the rule of law and foreign policy alignment.

The Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, Michael O'Flaherty, has also condemned the public glorification of Mladic and called on Serbian authorities to oppose it.

Mladic's remains were flown back to Serbia from the Netherlands on September 3 on a Serbian government plane, with his coffin draped in Serbian and Republika Srpska flags and carried by Serbian soldiers.

The funeral has put renewed focus on how Serbia confronts the legacy of the 1990s wars and the extent to which its political leadership is prepared to distance itself from popular nationalist sentiment and support for one of the conflict's most notorious figures.