The V Manifestation "Days of medicinal plants ‘98" was held in Banja Koviljača, from 14th to 19th September 1998. The main topic of the meeting was sage and other species belonging to the genus Salvia L. Scientist from the Institute for medicinal plant research "Dr Josif Pančić", Belgrade, which was the main organizer of the meeting, together with relevant experts from other scientific institutions, both from Yugoslavia and abroad, have covered all important topics concerning garden sage and genus Salvia L. After the meeting, the Institute for medicinal plant research "Dr Josif Pančić" is going to published a monograph dedicated to the sage and other Salvia L. species.

Scientific and professional findings about sage have been regarded to its importance, place and a role in the economical system of Yugoslavia, as well as biology and systematic of the genus Salvia, distribution and presence of the Salvia species in the plant communities of Serbia, breeding and sage seed production, climate conditions for the sage cultivation, agroecological factors which influence the sage chemical composition, diseases and pathogens of the sage, mechanization and the primary processing of this species, chemical composition, pharmacological effects and a possibilities of its usage in the pharmaceutical industry, cosmetics and a food production. The economical aspects of the sage production, processing and trade were also reconsidered.

The plenary lectures authors from Bulgaria have informed the participants with Salvia tomentosa Mill., as an interesting aromatic plant of Bulgarian flora, and sage breeding system in Bulgaria, while the participant from Greece gave a general pharmacognostic review of the genus Salvia.

Oral presented papers related to the main topic of the meeting have discussed the species of the genus Salvia L. from south-east of Serbia, the morpho-anathomical analyses, the composition of microelements and the essential oil content, the composition of extracts of these species, then the fungicidal and antimicrobial effects of the sage essential oil, as well as the application and trade of sage.

Plenary lectures given by the participants from Italy, Slovakia, Belaruss, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Republic of Srpska have treated the following plant species: Chamomilla recutita, Rhaporiticum Carthamoides, Acorus calamus, Hypericum perforatam, Piper menthysticum, Carum carvi, Melissa officinalis, Anethum graveolens, Foeniculum vulgare, Petroselinum sativum, Mentha piperita, then the geniuses Astragalus and Thymus. Two papers have treated the breeding of same medicinal plant species.

The rest of the oral presented papers has mostly treated the essential oils and preparations made of different plant species, their analyses, composition, usage and economical importance.

Poster presentations have covered the following topics: botany, breeding and growing of the medicinal plants, phytochemistry, pharmacology, plant application in the different types of industry and the economical aspect of production, processing and trade of medicinal and aromatic plants.

During the Round table working session - "Preservation of natural plant resources and plantation of endangered plant species" it have been estimated that natural resources represents a very important richness of every country, which is greatly affected by unlimited exploitation of mentioned spontaneously grown flora. In the name of plant genetics pool protection, collecting of same plant species is being forbidden or limited by the low regulations.

Medicinal plant cultivation, especially endangered ones among them, is the most acceptable solution in having a problem with preservation of a rare species. There are some other advantages in favouring the medicinal plant cultivation, such as: obtaining of a sustainable quantities of a rows with standard quality, a possible mechanical tillage utilization, a decrease of production expenses, as well as the row prices, etc. For the purpose of the medicinal plants cultivation demands the greater participation of a whole society, especially Ministry of agriculture and environmental protection, is necessary for an efficient financial supply. It is also necessary to review all problems relating a real native flora potentials. This would help to get a better knowledge about the plants in danger.

Whilst the V Manifestation "Days of the medicinal plants" was being held, the Workshop - "Essential oils - isolation, characterization and usage" has also been organized by Institute for medicinal plant research "Dr Josif Pančić" and "DSP - Chromatography" from Belgrade. There were 10 candidates participated. At the end, during the closing ceremony, each of participants was rewarded with the appropriate certificate of achievement, while the best Workshop's poster was elected and rewarded too.

In Banja Koviljača, Yugoslavia, two meetings were held at September 15^th, and 16^th, 1998, organized by the Institute for Medicinal Plant Research ² Dr Josif Pančić² (IMPR), Belgrade. These meetings were organized with regard to the initiative to organize I Conference on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of Southeast European Countries, postulated by several colleagues from the IMPR, Belgrade. At the meeting of the Initiative committee for the foundation of the First conference on medicinal plants of southeast European countries, there were 33 participants in the whole, where 19 of them were from Yugoslavia.

Summary result of presented contributions in main program sessions could be seen in the following table.

President of the Executive Committee