Late in May, the Serbian Association of Economists (SAE) submitted an official application for hosting the XXI World Congress of the International Economic Association (IEA), which is to be held in June 2026. Organizing the prestigious World Congress of the IEA in Belgrade presents a unique opportunity for our organization and all the participants to connect with the global economic community, to encourage meaningful dialogue, exchange innovative ideas and create new partnerships that would shape the future of the economics and make a contribution to global prosperity and progress. We have secured the support of all relevant institutions, the business sector, the academia, the media, as well as patronage of the Government of the Republic of Serbia. This event holds special importance for our region, which is why we are particularly pleased with the enthusiastic support from the professional associations and chambers from the neighboring countries that are eager to make their own contribution.
The SAE's application has been assessed as one of the best, thus qualifying our organization to join the top candidates to host this prestigious congress. Professor Omar Licandro, member of the Steering Committee of the IEA, stayed in Belgrade from 21^st to 23^rd of August 2024 so as to assess the capacities and possibilities for its organization. During the first day of his visit, SAE organized a formal dinner with the representatives of the business community at the Serbian Business Club "Privrednik". The following day, Professor Licandro attended a meeting with Mr. Miroslav Mišković, founder and CEO of Delta Holding, as well a tour of Sava Center, and in the afternoon he also met with the Serbian Minister of Finance, Mr. Siniša Mali, and the Governor of the National Bank of Serbia, Mrs. Jorgovanka Tabaković. In the premises of SAE, a meeting with the esteemed representatives of the academia was held. By organizing the said encounters, we had demonstrated, among other things, a clear and unambiguous support to the organization of the World Congress of the IEA from all the key stakeholders.
Based on the report of Professor Omar Licandro, the Steering Committee of the IEA shall reach a final decision early in September on the selection of the host for the Congress. Our organization and the City of Belgrade, being an ideal congress destination in this part of Europe, have demonstrated that they possess all the required organizational, technical, professional and HR capacities and resources that are necessary to successfully organize this important event.
As of 2013, SAE has been a full-fledged member of the IEA and the only representative of Serbia in this prestigious organization. The IEA organizes the World Congress every three years. This global event attracts not only the academia, but also renowned economists from the non-academic institutions, such as the central banks, multilateral institutions and other public institutions worldwide, for the purposes of exchanging ideas and opinions on present-day key economic issues. The previous World Congress of the IEA was held in 2023 in Medellin, Columbia.