Belgrade: Top EU official Marta Kos said Wednesday that the Serbia train station tragedy "could have been avoided" as she paid her respects Wednesday at the site of the disaster in Novi Sad.
The concrete canopy of the city's newly renovated station collapsed on November 1 killing 16 people, including two children.
The accident, widely blamed on corruption and poor oversight, sparked a wave of student-led protests which have rocked the country, leading to the resignation of the prime minister and the fall of his government.
Protesters have repeatedly condemned what they see as the EU's silence on the unrest, interpreting it as tacit support for Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
"I came to Novi Sad to honour the 16 lives that were lost in a tragedy that could have been prevented," Kos, the EU's Commissioner for Enlargement, posted on X, with photos of her laying a wreath of white roses.
"My heart goes out to the victims and their families," she added.
The commissioner is responsible for EU accession talks with Serbia.
Earlier this month Kos said the reforms the EU expected of Serbia were "almost the same" as those demanded by the thousands of demonstrators across the country in recent months.
"Serbia must be brought back onto a European path," the official urged.
She reiterated the call on Tuesday after a meeting with Serbia's new premier Djuro Macut.
"Serbia has so much to contribute to the EU," she said, before urging Belgrade to "work on reforms to make accession possible".
"Work with us to establish an independent judiciary capable of effectively fighting corruption... and an electoral framework that ensures the will of the Serbian people is heard and respected," she said.
Kos also met with Vucic on Tuesday, and with representatives of the parliamentary opposition on Wednesday.
