Gertrude Enderle-Burcel, Dieter Stiefel, Alice Teichova (Hrsg.): Sonderband 9. „Zarte Bande” – Österreich und die europäischen planwirtschaftlichen Länder / „Delicate Relationships” – Austria and Europe’s Planned Economies (2006)
Introduction
Editors supplier of coal, raw-materials and agricultural products. In this respect Poland’s position in economic relations with Austria differed from that of the other Eastern European socialist states. Trade relations declined and broke down mainly due to Poland’s economic and political crisis of the 1980s and because of the country’s enormous indebtedness rather than because of Cold War obstacles. Unlike Austria’s relatively uncomplicated trade relations with Poland, those with Czechoslovakia researched by Eduard Kubu for the decade 1945-1955 show that due to the war traditional ties had almost completely broken down. In order to combat delays caused by occupation bureaucracy various deals, including barter or compensation agreements served to satisfy the existing demand for exchange of goods in both countries. Also cross-border trade through Soviet-occupied territory was rife. Nevertheless, it is not widely known that diplomatic relations between Czechoslovakia and Austria were restored as early as March 1946 in which emphasis was placed on mutual assistance, particularly concerning supplies of coal to relieve the deep crisis-conditions in Austria. Greater opportunities for economic cooperation were opening up for Czechoslovakia after the restoration of Austrian sovereignty. While repeated official attempts by both sides at extending Czechoslovak- Austrian relations did not achieve great progress in widening cooperation beyond trade, by comparison greater success in foreign relations was achieved in Austria’s negotiations with Hungary after the 1950s, when a special relationship developed between the two states. According to Âgnes Pogâny, this new economic and political opening to Austria can to a large extent be explained by a change in Hungary’s perception of Austria in historical context: in the first half of the twentieth century Hungarians tended to see themselves as living in a colony of Austria, by the 1950s they emphasized economic community with Austria. As Hungary’s reforms included modernization and market elements in economic planning, both countries drew closer. No similar developments can be observed with regards to neighbouring Yugoslavia, as ascertained by Zarko Lazarevic and Joze Princic. They concentrate on Slovenia, whose continuous efforts at business contacts with Austria before the break-up of the Federation of Yugoslavia can only be studied in the context of Yugoslav-Austrian economic relations. Compared with the rigid Soviet-type system of economic planning of the COMECON countries, Yugoslavia’s socialist economic plans allowed more freedom of movement of goods, labour and travel. Therefore, it is somewhat surprising that the authors found a lasting reluctance by Austria to closer economic ties with the Yugoslav regions on its borders. Relations between Carinthia and Slovenia were stymied also due to the troubled history of the relations between both nationalities. In spite of deepening Yugoslav economic crisis conditions Austria did not break off relations with Slovenia but became more reserved in receiving Slovene approaches for greater cooperation. The same attitude does not seem to have applied in the case of 10
