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

in the Czechoslovak import of chemical products.40 A document on the effects of the Marshall Plan and United States’ policy of discrimination against Czechoslovak production, prepared for the Minister Jaromir Dolanskÿ, stated that Austria was among the countries found under American pressure to terminate the re-export of strategic raw materials. The document did not consider American policy of discrimination against Czechoslovakia to be a grave economic problem but it correctly estimated that the growth of German competitors would be the most adverse consequence of the Marshall Plan for Czechoslovakia and its industry.4'

In the period from June 8 to July 16, 1949, there was a meeting of the Czechoslovak-Austrian mixed commission in Prague. Both parties agreed to renew the contractual documents from 1948 and to prolong their term until June 30, 1950, and agreed that unless terminated, they would continue to be valid. However, the memorandum changed the quota lists as well as some of their provisions. In particular, the implementation of the old private compensatory deals was terminated as of August 31, 1949. The loan limit was increased from one million to three million dollars.42 However, in the second half of the year, Czechoslovak-Austrian trade started strongly to slacken. Austria, unlike Czechoslovakia, which was consolidating the control of foreign trade, was carrying out the gradual transition from a controlled economy to a market economy. The concept of the Marshall Plan envisioned elimination of regulatory restrictions on foreign trade.43 During the transition period, the Austrian National Bank was not allocating foreign currency to payments for imports from Czechoslovakia for a long time. The reasons it cited for this course of action were that it must create foreign currency reserves for paying the costs of coal and sugar imported during winter months and that Czechoslovakia does not purchase Austrian goods to such an extent that would enable Austria to generate sufficient amount of finances, which it could use for imports from Czechoslovakia.

According to Austrian foreign exchange legislation, every exporter surrendered half of the generated foreign currency to the Austrian National Bank and was free to use the other half of the foreign currency, i.e. to use it for paying imported goods or to sell it to a party interested in imports. From the moment when the Austrian National Bank stopped allocating foreign currency to payments for goods from

Restoration and Régularisation of Economic Cooperation

40 NAP, MFT 1945-1968, Kolegium ministra [Ministers advisory board], meeting 24.3.1949, Üëinky Marshallova plânu na ëeskoslovenskou vyrobu a obchod [Effects of the Marshall Plan on Czechoslovak production and trade], no. 203 835/49 II.

41 Ibid, Record for the minister.

42 NAP, MFT 1945-1968, TD, Rakousko 1945-1952 [Austria 1945-1952], dossier Smlouvy a dohody [Treaties and agreements], Protokol o jednàni smiSené komise ëeskoslovensko-rakouské ve vëci vÿmëny zboii [Protocol about negotiations of Czechoslovak-Austrian mixed commission concerning the change of goods], 16.7.1949.

43 Der österreichische Volkswirt, 35. Jg., Nr. 36, 9.9.1949, article „Revision des Außenhandelssystems“.

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