Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailovic has dedicated her life to championing Europe’s shared values and shared cultural heritage. She has worked for Europa Nostra for over three decades; and became the Secretary General of the organisation in 2000. She is a forceful advocate of the multiple values of cultural heritage for our society with EU Institutions, the Council of Europe, UNESCO and numerous public and private bodies committed to cultural heritage, at all levels of governance.
A prominent voice among Europe’s cultural and cultural heritage stakeholders, Sneška is the leader of the European Heritage Hub project initiated by the European Parliament and funded by the European Commission. She is also the initiator and founder – in 2011 – of the European Heritage Alliance, of which she often acts as spokesperson. She is a member of the European Commission’s Expert Group on Cultural Heritage. She is one of the three co-leaders of the Cultural Deal for Europe initiative, alongside her counterparts from Culture Action Europe and the European Cultural Foundation. Her multi-facetted activities and interests extend to the vital intersection between cultural heritage and climate action, with an active involvement in the Climate Heritage Network and the Group of Friends for Culture-based Climate Action which was founded at COP 28 in Dubai. She is a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra Advisory Council and a member of the Council of the European Music Centre in Bougival.
Sneška holds a graduate degree in International Law (Belgrade, former Yugoslavia) and a postgraduate degree in European Law and Politics (Nancy, France). Before joining Europa Nostra, Sneška worked for the EU Institutions in Brussels and in her native city Belgrade. In 1991, she was one of the founders and the first Secretary General of the European Movement in Yugoslavia. She continues to cooperate with the European Movement International and the European Movement in Serbia.
In 2022, Sneška was elevated to the rank of Knight of the French national order of the Legion of Honour. In 2024, she was appointed as a foreign member of the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti. Most recently, Sneška has become a new member of the Soft Power Club, a think-tank founded and presided by Francesco Rutelli.
