European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the footage of the ceremony "shocking" and warned that what happened contradicts the values on which Serbia's path to the EU is built. A similar position was taken by the President of the European Council, António Costa. The particularly harsh reaction was due to the participation of high-ranking Serbian officials in the ceremony and elements of state support. **Five ministers of the Serbian government** attended the funeral, the coffin was covered with the Serbian flag, and earlier, Mladić's body was delivered from The Hague by a government plane. Mladić died on August 27 while serving a life sentence for crimes during the Bosnian War, including genocide in Srebrenica. The scandal has already escalated into a diplomatic issue: Bosnia and Herzegovina recalled most of its embassy staff in Serbia, leaving only the ambassador and consul in Belgrade. European Commissioner for Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi previously canceled a trip to Serbia. Thus, the situation begins to directly affect the country's prospects for EU membership.
