Polish-Hungarian economic cooperation in the 1970s

Type of Abstract (select): Individual Presentation

Abstract (max. 250 words):
In the 1970s, Polish-Hungarian trade exchange developed in the shadow of the economic reform that was introduced in Hungary at the beginning of 1968. Moreover, events on the Polish coast at the end of 1970 influenced the attitude of the Hungarian communists towards the changes in Poland. These events have again increased the level of distrust towards Polish changes (private sector in Polish agriculture). The Hungarian economy began to become more open to cooperation with Western countries, giving up Poland. There were, of course, sectors that seemed to have good prospects, e.g. cooperation in the production of passenger cars. In the second half of the decade, it turned out that trade between the two countries was uneven and a large trade deficit was recorded on the Polish side. By 1974, Hungary was also showing significant interest in the shipping services provided by Poland. In May 1968, both countries signed a cooperation agreement in the field of shipping. The contracting parties agreed that Hungary would be able to operate the line between Szczecin and western ports using its vessel, the Somogy. The agreement also allowed the use of Polish ports for the Hungarian Hinterland. It was predicted that by 1970, the volume of goods shipped would increase by 30% compared to 1967. In 1970, as much as 41% of all goods passing through Polish ports were Hungarian goods. In 1971, Hungary shipped a total of 2.69 million tons of products by sea, including 1.153 million tons through Polish ports.


Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Tadeusz Kopyś, Ph D (born 1967) - historian at the Institute of European Studies of the
Jagiellonian University. He specializes in the history of Central Europe in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, national issues and nationalism in this region. The main publications concern federation matters in Central Europe (Oszkár Jászi 1875-1957. From the history of the idea of ​​federation in Central Europe, Krakow 2006, Jagiellonian University Publishing House) as well as the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and Polish-Hungarian relations in the 20th century. He was a multiple scholarship holder at several research institutes in Hungary (e.g. Eötvös Collegium i Europái Intézet) and in Great Britain (Institute for Advanced Study in Humanities in Edinburgh). Dr. Kopysio's studies include studies on the nationality issue (Nationality issue in the lands of Saint Stephen's Crown in the years 1867-1918, Krakow 2001), Polish-Hungarian relations in the years 1945-1970, Krakow 2015 and History of Hungary 1526-1989, Krakow 2014.