"The time has come for tougher measures": Picula calls for an end to EU tolerance towards Serbia and Vučić

Croatian MEP and European Parliament rapporteur for Serbia, Tonino Picula, has called for a radical change in the European Union's approach to the authorities in Belgrade, following the funeral of Ratko Mladic, convicted of genocide and war crimes.

In an interview for the "Dnevnik" program of Croatian public broadcaster HRT, Picula said that Mladic's funeral should serve as a turning point in the EU's relations with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

According to him, Serbia is choosing its own path, but if it aims for membership in the European Union, it must reject historical revisionism and the glorification of persons convicted of war crimes.

"The funeral of war criminal Ratko Mladic, who was ultimately convicted of genocide, should radically change the European Union's long-standing policy of appeasement towards Aleksandar Vučić," Picula said.

He criticized the European Commission and some of the most influential member states for the way they have treated Belgrade, arguing that Serbia cannot continue to be considered Brussels' privileged partner in the Western Balkans.

"European leaders must finally move from the shock phase to the reaction phase to what Vučić has been doing for years. His immunity from sanctions must finally be lifted and the policy of submission to the regime must be rejected," he declared.

Picula described "Vučić's Serbia" as one of the main destabilizing forces in relations in Southeast Europe and said that the glorification of Mladić cannot be seen as an issue isolated from political and security developments in the region.

He also spoke about the reactions in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the funeral, including the announcement by Foreign Minister Elmedin Konaković of the expulsion of two members of the Serbian Embassy, ​​as well as the participation of political leaders from Republika Srpska in the funeral ceremony.

"The funeral of a convicted war criminal should have consequences for relations in Southeast Europe, which has not yet even remotely overcome the consequences of aggression. Bosnia and Herzegovina is also entering a pre-election period and this is adding fuel to the already tense relations in the country," Picula said.

According to the Croatian MEP, support for tougher measures against Serbia is growing in the European Parliament. Representatives of the four main political groups in the EP have urged the European Commission to take action, while calls for the freezing or suspension of Serbia's membership process have also increased.

Picula said that some MEPs have been calling for such measures for years, while now attention has focused on the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

He said it would be an important signal if Von der Leyen, like Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, were to cancel her planned visit to Belgrade and clearly define her position towards the Serbian authorities in her State of the Union address in Strasbourg.

"The time has come to clearly change the situation and take tougher action against the regime in Belgrade," Picula said.

Asked whether there is still room for diplomacy and whether Belgrade can publicly distance itself from glorifying Mladic, Picula expressed pessimism.

"Vucic had 12 years to do what he promised to do in Serbia. None of this happened. It is difficult to expect Vucic to change anything before election day. The space for diplomacy is narrowing," he concluded.

Picula's statements come after Mladic's funeral in Belgrade, where the man sentenced to life in prison for genocide was given a state funeral, prompting harsh reactions from senior European Union officials and calls for a review of Brussels' policy towards Belgrade.