One way out of this awkward and unpleasant conundrum is for Open Balkans to retreat into a smaller, softer, cultural blend of cultural diplomacy with concerts, fairs and all the glittery shows its proponents are truly masters of.
TIRANA TIMES EDITORIAL
The Open Balkans initiative is quickly branding itself as a cool wine tasting club with the latest show on the picturesque shorelines of an Italian lake. There are the elegant flute toasts given by each of the three PMs in praise of how trade has increased in the context of OB, though in careful analysis the trade volume increase is hard to explain legitimately just as the merit of this particular framework.
The shape-shifting initiative of Serbia, Albania and North-Macedonia first launched in 2019 has stood the test of time so far but not that of clarity. It continues to follow ad-hoc meetings and its track records are demonstrated only by the governments themselves since they can’t be measured by any external party in the absence of action plans which would set targets or even secretariat documents that would provide targeted evidence.
Elsewhere in the region others are paying attention. A conference on the topic will be organized this week by the Serbian Bosnian authorities and the participation of Montenegro is expected. The latter has swayed between a paper that evaluated the initiative as non-beneficiary and the regular participation of its officials as observers in the relevant meetings.
Whereas Open Balkans in Bosnian politics is being consolidated as yet another friction line for divisiveness, as if the country needs any more of those. Bosnia is yet to ratify the agreements signed in the previous Berlin process meeting, behind far behind all others in the region.
In Berlin and Brussels the prospects for the Open Balkans are being considered with a sense of worry. Tirana will be the official host for this year’s Berlin Process Summit, hence carrying two little hats of regional cooperation vision. The controversy that Open Balkans has created especially when juxtaposed to the Berlin Process has not dissipated; on the contrary. The time for reckoning in the rivalry between the two initiatives might be closer than we think.
One way out of this awkward and unpleasant conundrum is for Open Balkans to retreat into a smaller, softer, cultural blend of cultural diplomacy with concerts, fairs and all the glittery shows its proponents are truly masters of.
Perhaps then the Open Balkans is on track to become really what is best for it to be: a fine wine tasting club. In that case others should not think twice about joining in.
