NATO and EU Cooperation – A Key for a Resilient Future

The Institute for National and International Security (INIS) is pleased to announce the 11th Zagreb Security Forum (ZSF XI), which will take place on 9–10 October 2026 at the Westin Hotel in Zagreb, Croatia.

As a longstanding partner and co-organizer of the Zagreb Security Forum, INIS continues its close cooperation with ZSF in developing an international platform that connects security and intelligence experts, academics, defence professionals, policymakers and institutions dealing with the most important contemporary security challenges.

The central theme of this year’s conference is:

Quo Vadis Europe in the 21st Century

Strengthening Democracy, Protecting Freedom and Society

After more than a decade of continuous work, the Zagreb Security Forum has developed into an important international meeting point for experts dealing with hybrid threats, democratic resilience, critical infrastructure protection and the changing European and transatlantic security environment.

“A decade proven. The eleventh confirms it – ZSF XI.”

Europe at a Critical Security Crossroads

The 11th Zagreb Security Forum comes at a time of profound transformation of the European and global security environment. War, hybrid operations, foreign interference, cyber threats, disinformation, terrorism, rapidly developing military technologies and the growing role of artificial intelligence are changing the way states and societies understand security.

The Forum will address complex forms of hybrid threats against societies and institutions, with particular emphasis on developing effective and primarily preventive mechanisms for protecting fundamental democratic and societal values, freedoms and institutions.

Special attention will be devoted to the resilience of critical infrastructure, particularly food, water and energy security, as well as the rapidly expanding role of artificial intelligence in security and defence.

The wider discussion will examine the importance of NATO–EU cooperation, resilience of democratic societies, foreign interference and influence operations, information and cognitive warfare, emerging technologies and other challenges affecting European and transatlantic security.

INIS and ZSF – A Strategic Partnership

The relationship between INIS and the Zagreb Security Forum goes far beyond participation in individual conferences.

INIS is a longstanding partner and co-organizer of the Zagreb Security Forum, while the Zagreb Security Forum is a partner and co-organizer of the Belgrade Security and Intelligence Forum (BSIF), founded and organized by INIS.

This reciprocal relationship is based on a shared understanding that contemporary security challenges cannot be effectively analysed or addressed within isolated national or institutional frameworks.

Cooperation between the two forums encourages stronger professional and academic networking, international exchange of research and assessments, and direct communication among experts dealing with security, intelligence, defence and geopolitical challenges.

An International Network of Security Forums

The partnership between INIS and ZSF is part of a broader and continuously developing International Network of Security Forums, connecting:

Belgrade Security and Intelligence Forum (BSIF) – Serbia; Zagreb Security Forum (ZSF) – Croatia; Krakow Security Forum – Poland; Skopje Security Forum – North Macedonia; Banská Bystrica Security Forum – Slovakia; and Lviv Security Conference – Ukraine.

Together, these forums and their respective institutions, experts and international partners are developing a permanent platform for security dialogue and professional cooperation across Europe.

Rather than functioning as isolated annual conferences, the participating forums create a continuous international security dialogue, enabling the exchange of knowledge, research findings, strategic assessments and practical experience across Central and Southeast Europe, the Western Balkans and Ukraine, while connecting these regions with the wider European and transatlantic security community.

The network addresses a broad spectrum of contemporary security challenges, including geopolitics and strategic trends, intelligence and counterintelligence, hybrid threats and cyber security, terrorism and extremism, defence and military security, emerging technologies and artificial intelligence, as well as Security Science and its applied disciplines.

The inclusion of the Lviv Security Conference in Ukraine adds an especially important dimension to this cooperation. Ukraine’s experience provides significant opportunities for professional and academic discussion of modern warfare, national resilience, intelligence, hybrid operations, critical infrastructure protection, drones and emerging military technologies, as well as the broader transformation of contemporary defence and security.

Building a Permanent Security Community

The objective of this network is not simply to organize conferences. Its broader purpose is to create a sustainable international community connecting scientists, intelligence and security professionals, military experts, policymakers and institutions and enabling cooperation to continue between individual forums.

For INIS, this represents an important strategic objective. Today’s security threats are transnational, interconnected and multidimensional. Effective responses therefore require equally interconnected international networks of knowledge, expertise, trust and cooperation.

This international cooperation will continue with the Belgrade Security and Intelligence Forum III (BSIF III), which will be organized by INIS in Belgrade on 1–2 April 2027.

BSIF III will address major contemporary security issues including geopolitics and strategic trends, intelligence and counterintelligence, hybrid threats and cyber security, terrorism and extremism, emerging technologies and AI, defence and military security, and Security Science and applied disciplines.

Through this network, INIS seeks to strengthen cooperation not only between conferences but, more importantly, between the people and institutions behind them.

ZSF XI – Zagreb, 9–10 October 2026

The 11th Zagreb Security Forum will be held in a hybrid format, enabling both in-person and online participation. Due to the limited number of places at the venue, participation will be based on prior registration. Online access will also enable the participation of students from several countries.

The official language of the Forum is English, while the introductory part will be held in Croatian with simultaneous interpretation into English.

11th Zagreb Security Forum – ZSF XI
9–10 October 2026
Westin Hotel, Zagreb, Croatia

NATO and EU Cooperation – A Key for a Resilient Future

Quo Vadis Europe in the 21st Century – Strengthening Democracy, Protecting Freedom and Society

INIS invites its members, partners, colleagues, researchers and security professionals from across its international network to participate in and follow the 11th Zagreb Security Forum.

From Belgrade to Zagreb, Krakow, Skopje, Banská Bystrica and Lviv – we are building a network, not simply organizing conferences. We are building a permanent international security community.

More information is available on the official Zagreb Security Forum website. Participants can register through the official ZSF XI Registration page.