Head of EU Commission says 'they recognise their responsibility for failing to prevent, stop genocide' that took place 30 years ago
European Union leaders on Friday marked the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide by firmly rejecting denial, revisionism, and the glorification of war criminals, while reaffirming support for Bosnia and Herzegovina's path to EU membership.
Speaking at the commemoration ceremony in Srebrenica, European Council President Antonio Costa said: "There is no room in Europe or anywhere else for genocide denial, revisionism or the glorification of those responsible. Denying such horrors only poisons our future."
Costa emphasized the EU's commitment to accountability and truth, saying the bloc honors the victims and stands in solidarity with survivors, pledging to keep their memory alive.
He also underlined that the EU remains committed to its enlargement process, stressing: "We believe the place of Bosnia and Herzegovina is in the European Union."
Separately, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen echoed this message, calling the Srebrenica massacre "one of the darkest chapters in Europe's collective memory."
"We acknowledge our past and recognise our responsibility for failing to prevent and stop the genocide. We will also never allow history to be rewritten," she said.
Von der Leyen stressed that the EU "firmly rejects and condemns any denial, distortion or minimisation of the Srebrenica genocide, as well as the glorification of war criminals."
She called on political leaders, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the greater Western Balkans, to acknowledge historical facts and genuinely honor the victims, reaffirming the EU's support for Bosnia and Herzegovina's European future.
In July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces attacked the UN-declared safe area of Srebrenica, killing more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys despite the presence of Dutch peacekeepers.
The forces led by Gen. Ratko Mladic, who was later sentenced to life for war crimes and genocide, overran the area on July 11, executing around 2,000 men and boys that day and thousands more in the following days as they fled into nearby forests.
The bodies of victims have been found in 570 mass graves across Bosnia and Herzegovina.
