From 4 to 6 November 2026, the 14th Conference of the Danube Academies was held in the city of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, organised by the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, the University of Mostar and the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The event focused on the sciences and arts that contribute to the development of peace and understanding in the Danube region.
The conference was opened by Prof. Sanja Bijakšić, Vice-Rector of the University of Mostar, and Prof. Klaus Mainzer, President of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. Welcoming addresses were delivered by Dr Valentin Inzko, an Austrian diplomat and former High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Prof. Ludvik Toplak, Rector of Alma Mater Europaea University, and Prof. Mladen Bevanda, President of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The invited speakers were academics from Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia. The main themes of the conference were historical experience and conflicts in the Danube region and the former Yugoslavia, and the role of science and the arts in promoting peace and security in the region. Particular emphasis was placed on joint events and cooperation in the fields of scientific research and culture.
Prof. Neli Koseva, Scientific Secretary-General of BAS, presented a paper entitled “Bilateral and multilateral initiatives of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences to promote peace and prosperity in the Danube region”. Conference participants highly commended the active role of BAS in developing cooperation between the academies in the Danube region.
On 6 November, Prof. Koseva held a meeting with the President of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Academician Muris Čičić, at which they discussed opportunities for joint initiatives within the framework of the bilateral agreement on scientific cooperation between the two academies.
