Sarajevo Security Conference to Focus on Europe’s Security

The fourth Sarajevo Security Conference will take place in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, from September 4 to 6, bringing together defense officials, policymakers, researchers and industry representatives to examine the changing European security environment.

Organized by the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, the 2026 conference will operate under the theme Securing Europe in a Divided World. The program is expected to address European security, artificial intelligence in defense, cognitive warfare and resilience against emerging threats.

Sarajevo forum expands focus on European defense and technology

The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies confirmed in June that it will again partner with the Sarajevo Security Conference. Its strategic analysts Davis Ellison and Hans Horan are scheduled to participate in a discussion on Russian sub-threshold threats.

The Hague-based institute said the fourth edition will bring together senior policymakers, defense and security officials, academics, civil society representatives and international experts working on security challenges affecting Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.

Technology will also feature in the conference agenda. Discussions announced ahead of the event include the application of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies to defense and security, reflecting the wider shift toward software, data and digital infrastructure across NATO member and partner countries.

Private-sector participation is expected to extend beyond established defense companies. TLG Global Technologies, for example, announced that it would participate in a panel examining how technologies including distributed ledger systems and sovereign artificial intelligence could support integrity and anti-fraud mechanisms in state-owned defense enterprises in the Western Balkans.

Western Balkans security returns to the European agenda

The Sarajevo Security Conference was launched in 2023 and has developed into an annual forum connecting the Western Balkans with the wider Euro-Atlantic security debate.

Its location gives the conference a specific regional context. Bosnia and Herzegovina remains the headquarters of the European Union Force Operation Althea and NATO Headquarters Sarajevo, while the wider Western Balkans continues to face questions surrounding defense modernization, Euro-Atlantic integration, foreign influence and institutional resilience.

The 2026 conference is also taking place as European governments increase attention to military readiness, defense-industrial capacity and emerging technologies. For Western Balkan countries, those changes create both policy and industrial questions concerning their place within Europe's evolving security architecture.

The organizers have established partnerships with institutions including the European Union and the Centre for European Policy Studies ahead of this year's event. Participation in the 2026 conference is by invitation.

Sarajevo conference builds on three previous editions

The event follows the third Sarajevo Security Conference, held from September 26 to 28, 2025 under the theme Reframing Europe’s New Security Architecture.

That edition addressed subjects including hybrid warfare, foreign interference, critical raw materials, air warfare, maritime security, artificial intelligence in the military domain, energy security and grey-zone conflict.

The fourth conference will continue that broader security agenda while placing additional emphasis on technological change and the increasingly interconnected security challenges facing Europe and the Western Balkans.

FAQ

When is the Sarajevo Security Conference 2026?

The fourth Sarajevo Security Conference is scheduled for September 4-6, 2026 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

What is the theme of Sarajevo Security Conference 2026?

The 2026 conference will focus on Securing Europe in a Divided World, covering European security, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, cognitive warfare and regional resilience.

Who organizes the Sarajevo Security Conference?

The 2026 Sarajevo Security Conference is organized by the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy and involves partner institutions from Europe and the wider transatlantic security community.

Why is the conference relevant to the Western Balkans?

The event connects security challenges in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Western Balkans with wider European debates over defense, resilience, emerging technologies and Euro-Atlantic security cooperation.