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Group of MEPs calls for a halt to Serbia's accession talks following the Mladić case

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, 09 SET - A group of MEPs led by Czech Ondřej Kolář (EPP) and comprising members from various political groups (including EPP, S&D, Greens, and Renew) have sent a letter to European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos calling for a "re-evaluation of the approach" towards Belgrade. "A country aspiring to join the European Union cannot glorify such a person, either in life or after death," reads the letter, which ANSA obtained. The MEPs thus call for these developments to be "seriously considered" within the context of the country's European integration process, and support a proposal to "suspend the accession process until the Serbian authorities unequivocally reject the glorification and public honouring of individuals convicted of war crimes and genocide." The MEPs also demand that "further concessions regarding the country's integration into the Schengen Area" be withheld until it demonstrates "clear and lasting respect for the fundamental political, legal, and moral principles underpinning European integration." (ANSA).