[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 23, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 23, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                          CSCE ECONOMIC FORUM

                                 ______


                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 23, 1994

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the contribution of 
the U.S. delegation to the work of the second Economic Forum of the 
Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe [CSCE] which was held 
last week in Prague. Under the able leadership of Ambassador Stuart 
Eizenstat, U.S. Representative to the European Union, the delegation 
played a prominent role in this important meeting designed to give 
further impetus to economic reform in those countries in transition 
among the 53 CSCE participating states. David R. Cohan, CEO of 
Intercontinental Trading Corp. and Prof. Tom Volgy of the University of 
Arizona were active participants as public members on the delegation. 
They added a unique and refreshing perspective to the discussions in 
Prague, drawing from their considerable experience in business and 
academia. I am also very pleased to note the active and knowledgeable 
participation by the commission's staff as well.
  Forty-one CSCE countries were represented at the Forum. The United 
States provided grants which enabled Albania, Belarus, Georgia, and 
Moldova to send delegates to the meeting. Algeria, Egypt, Israel, 
Morocco, and Tunisia attended as nonparticipating Mediterranean states. 
Japan was also present. Representatives of nearly a dozen international 
organizations, including the U.N. Economic Commission for Europe [ECE], 
the International Monetary Fund [IMF], the Council of Europe, and the 
Commonwealth of Independent States [CIS] contributed to the work of the 
Forum. The CSCE Parliamentary Assembly was also represented. Italy, in 
its capacity as chair-in-office, presided over the proceedings.
  The discussions were organized around broad topics related to the 
transition to free markets--elements of a favorable business climate, 
favorable conditions for trade and investment, infrastructures, and 
cooperation in the area of science and technology. Many of the 
delegations present at the Forum used the occasion to report on the 
status of economic reform in their countries. Only a handful or so 
included representatives of the business community and private sector. 
On the positive side, those who did make it to Prague were able to 
exchange views and experiences through informal contacts on the margins 
of the Forum.
  The U.S. delegation was among the most active, contributing to the 
general debate as well as circulating various proposals for additional 
work within the framework of the Economic Forum. A proposal on tourism, 
drafted by Helsinki Commission staff, was well received as a valuable 
means of bridging the human and economic dimensions of the CSCE. 
Romania offered to host the seminar on tourism in late 1994. Slovenia 
expressed its willingness to serve as the venue for a seminar on public 
support for the reform process, another idea floated by the United 
States.
  Ambassador Eizenstat offered a number of concrete suggestions to 
stimulate a freer exchange of views and encouraged other delegations to 
include representatives from the private sector at future meetings. He 
specifically called for more informal sessions, a more focused agenda, 
and a concerted effort to encourage participation by all participating 
states in future sessions. He also suggested that the Economic Forum 
take fuller advantage of the expertise of relevant international 
organizations. Eizenstat offered a number of topics which might be 
taken up by the Forum, including taxation, marketing, infrastructure, 
privatization/restitution, banking, energy, and education.
  The United States delegation successfully headed off efforts in 
Prague to diminish the importance of the Forum which was established in 
1992 to serve as a catalyst during the transition to free-market 
economies, particularly in the emerging democracies of Central and 
Eastern Europe and the New Independent States of the former Soviet 
Union. The inaugural meeting of the Economic Forum was held in the 
Czech capital in 1993. A number of West European countries have 
expressed reservations about the Forum fearing that it might in some 
way subvert the work of the 12-nation European Union. The United 
States, the main architect of the Forum, has urged that the CSCE remain 
involved in the economic sphere as part of an integrated approach 
covering human rights and military security as well as economic 
matters. It was agreed that the third Economic Forum will be held in 
Prague, June 7-9, 1995.

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