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
Eduard Kubü Czechoslovakia, Austrian importers could only use foreign currency from private sources. However, this foreign currency was sold with a premium margin of 10-15 percent and the Austrian importers requested Czechoslovak exporters to decrease their prices by this premium margin. The Austrian National Bank also applied a similar practice, which was allegedly motivated by the effort to prevent foreign currency speculative transactions before the prepared currency devaluation, to other countries and it could not be interpreted as discrimination targeted against the Czechoslovak Republic. The Austrian trade diplomacy rejected criticism by stating that Prague did not grant “import licences” for Austrian exporters “to a sufficient extent”.'14 In direct proportion to the diminishing opportunities for Czechoslovak trade in developed Western markets, the interest in reviving relations with Austria grew. At a meeting of the Czechoslovak-Austrian mixed commission, the Czech delegation was to seek to “solve the unfavourable situation resulting from the devaluation of the Austrian Schilling and the course of action by the Austrian National Bank” according to the instmctions given by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and approved by the Government Presidium Office. The Czech delegation wanted to achieve removal of the obstacles to the exchange of goods and an increase of the loan limit to 4 million dollars.* 45 The result of the meetings taking place from April 13 to May 26, 1950 in Vienna was not very encouraging. The term of the agreements was renewed for only four months. The high Czechoslovak active balance in the mutual trade was to be liquidated in such a way that reciprocal deals in the ratio of 10:6 in favour of Austrian exports would be temporarily permitted. The only Czechoslovak success was the agreement that the active balance of the mutual trade should be paid by the Austrian party through deliveries of “essential goods”, i.e. the goods that were given priority by the Czechoslovak buyers (armoured conveyers, steel structures and cranes).46 The next meeting of the mixed commission took place in Prague from October 9, until December 9, 1950. The result consisted of minor changes in the quota lists and in renewal of the old documents, which Prague had previously found unsatisfactory, in the original form. Comments in the British press referred to the complicated situation of Austrian trade with the countries of the eastern block because steel and steel products were regarded as strategic materials by the United States of America and their deliveries to Eastern Europe were to be disallowed.47 The problem with NAP, MFT 1945-1968, Rakousko - obchodni zastoupeni 1949-1952 [Austria - trade representation 1949-1952], Poruchy v obchodë s Rakouskem [Troubles in trade with Austria], dated 2.11.1949, no. 215 677/1949. 45 NAP, GPO, box 1 128, file 1 407/c/25, no. 207 175/49, record dated 17.1.1950. 46 NAP, MFT 1945-1968, TD, Rakousko 1945-1952 [Austria 1945-1952], dossier Smlouvy a dohody [treaties and agreements], record dated 26.5.1950. 47 NAP, MFA - APC, box 41 1, Manchester Guardian 14.12.1950, article "Austrian Steel for Czechs. Problem of U.S. Aid”. 210
