This drive by local actors rather than external forces distinguished Open Balkan from other regional initiatives.

In theory, regional cooperation among all WB6 countries could aid EU accession, improve political ties and assist reconciliation across the whole region.

This implicitly contrasts Open Balkan’s supposed focus on economics with the EU’s more holistic and (at least nominally) values-oriented approach.

While some saw Open Balkan as compatible with the Berlin Process and EU integration, others saw it as a half-baked substitution for EU-supervised mechanisms.