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
on the quota list of the goods agreed with Austria only because the Austrian party interested in these deliveries might have refused to enter into a trade agreement with Czechoslovakia at all for this reason.55 The negotiations about the agreement, taking place on December 18-22, 1954 and January 3-20, 1955, really started to take a new direction. The quota lists of goods were significantly changed this time. The Czechoslovak delegation allegedly “reduced the pressure on Austrian export of machine sector products and finished products” and succeeded in making Austrians waive the delivery of the unmet quota of gas coal under the agreement for 1954 (approximately 50 thousand tons) and, conversely, the quota for import of iron ore was maintained. In export, the quota for machines and technical equipment was increased by two percent and, conversely, the quota for import of similar goods from Austria was decreased by six percent. Also, the number of reciprocally interlinked items was reduced to a half.56 In spring 1955, a draft governmental resolution on the extension of economic relations with Austria was prepared. It was connected with preparations for the signing of the State Agreement, under which Austria was to obtain sovereignty and independence. The Soviet Union and its European satellite states saw neutral Austria as an important economic partner for the future. Through extension of economic relations with Austria, “not only the economic but also the political influence of the USA, West Germany and other imperialist countries” was to be “weakened”. The economic cooperation with Austria was to prevent “Austria from being dragged into the camp of the aggressors”. Czechoslovakia played a special role in these plans. It was to be a radical change. The document envisioned that the trade exchange would be increased by 100 percent in only three years. During economic negotiations, attention was to be paid preferentially to ensuring Austrian mineral oils, chemical products and iron ore. The document was also based on the assumption that the situation in Austria was extremely favourable for extension of relations with eastern countries because Austria had high debts to western countries, especially to the Federal Republic of Germany. The high ambitions in economic cooperation made Prague prepare for discussions about the open property-related issues. Their final resolution was a logical precondition of economic and political approximation. Among other things, the central authorities were preparing measures to eliminate the chronic problems of mutual trade relations, especially the Czechoslovak party’s failure to meet the agreed quotas of goods. This was allegedly caused, for the most part, by the “shifts in plan” made during the year irrespective of the concluded agreement. The commercial offensive in Austria was to include a * * Restoration and Régularisation of Economic Cooperation NAP, MFT, Tajné spisy [Secret records] 1954, box no. 3, Düvodovâ zprâva k usneseni vlâdy [arguments basis for government resolution], dated 13.12.1954, no. 3 302 134/54. NAP, GPO, Tajné spisy 1945-1959 [Secret records], box 1 545, C. inv. 4 405, Nâvrh vlâdniho usneseni o schvâleni protokolu smiâené komise Ceskoslovensko-rakouské [A draft governmental resolution on approval of a memorandum of the mixed Czechoslovak-Austrian commission], dated 20.2.1955, no. 09 842/55. 213
