On 11 July, Europe paid its tribute to the memory of over 8,300 Bosniak men and boys who were killed in the Srebrenica genocide 31 years ago. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims of the genocide. We share the grief of those who endure the anguish of uncertainty about their missing loved ones, and we continue to stand by the survivors whose lives were upended in July 1995.
The Srebrenica genocide is among the darkest episodes in Europe’s history.
It reminds us of our obligation to build peaceful societies, protect human lives and dignity, and to defend the fundamental values upon which the European Union is founded.
We honour the victims by upholding historical truth, preserving their memory, and ensuring that the lessons of Srebrenica endure for future generations. This was the intention of the United Nations General Assembly when two years ago it declared the 11 July as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica.
There is no place in Europe for genocide denial, revisionism, or the glorification of convicted war criminals.
We call on leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina and throughout the region to choose responsibility over division, dialogue over confrontation, and to support the process of finding and identifying the remaining victims.
Healing the wounds of the past requires courage, sincere engagement, and a genuine commitment to reconciliation.
The European Union remains firmly committed to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European future as a sovereign, united, multiethnic and democratic country.
