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)
Eduard Kubů: Restoration and Régularisation of Economie Cooperation under the Circumstances of Accelerating Cold War
Linz) did not take place because the American occupation administration disapproved of this transaction.27 In early 1947, Czechoslovakia offered 1.5 million pairs of shoes. At the same time, negotiations about deliveries of energy coal were resumed.28 The bilateral negotiations were interrupted in February and March by the London meeting of powers held to discuss the form of a state agreement with Austria. The only tangible result of spring 1947 was the signing of an agreement on exchange of electricity between the Czechoslovak Power Plants and the Austrian Federal Ministry for Energy and Electrification (Bundesministerium für Energiewirtschaft und Elektrifizierung), which was endorsed in Vienna on March 15 and signed with final effect in Prague on July 26, 1947. The agreement did not define any standard trade activity but provided for mutual assistance. In the summer months, Austria was to supply the excess of the output of its hydroelectric power plants to Czechoslovakia, and in the winter months, Czechoslovakia was to compensate for the supplied amount of energy by supplying the electricity generated in power plants running on coal to Austria. The agreement was to be in effect for twenty years and the performance of the agreement was contingent on the construction of power lines between the two countries.29 This seemingly meaningful agreement was never implemented to a broader extent. On March 19, 1947, Mr. Heinl, the Austrian Minister of Trade, arrived again in Prague to start economic talks. He traditionally repeated that Austria primarily needs coal, coke and sugar and is ready to deliver mineral ores and rolling stock in exchange for that. Hubert Ripka, the Czechoslovak Minister of Foreign Trade, proposed a fundamental change in the mutual trade relations, i.e. to abandon the compensatory deals carried out up until then and to base mutual trade on a clearing system, with the two countries agreeing on the types and quantities of goods to be exchanged by them during the year.30 Difficult negotiations were interrupted after several days. They were to continue in May in Vienna.31 However, the negotiations about the trade agreement stagnated in the following months. The economic negotiations and the signing of the agreement, expected by the Czechoslovak Restoration and Régularisation of Economic Cooperation AMFA, PR, Rakousko - 1947 [Austria 1947], Political report dated January 16, 1947, no. 12962. 28 NAP, MFA - APC, box 412, Neues Österreich 22.1.1947, article „Energiewirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit zwischen Österreich und Tschechoslowakei"; Neues Österreich 24.1.1947, article „Die Tschechoslowakei bietet an: 1 'A Millionen Paar Schuhe für Österreich". NAP, Ceskoslovenské energetické zâvody [Czechoslovak Energy Works], ROE 1947, dossier Stàtni smlouva s Rakouskem [State treaty with Austria]; MFT 1945-1968, TD, Rakousko 1945- 1952 [Austria 1945-1952], dossier Smlouvy a dohody [treaties and agreements], 30 NAP, MFA - APC, box 411, Nârodni Osvobozeni [National Liberation] 18.3.1947, article “Obchodni jednâni s Rakouskem" [Economie negotiations with Austria]; Neues Österreich 19.3.1947, article „Dr. Heini sprach tschechisch in Prag. Außerordentlich freundliche Atmosphäre zu Beginn der Wirtschaftsverhandlungen“. 31 Ibid, Nârodni Osvobozeni [National Liberation] 16.4.1947, article "Rakousko-Ceskoslovenska jednâni budou pokraCovat v kvëtnu” [Austrian-czechoslovak negotiations will continue on Mai], 205
