Following the removal of the Czech and Slovak Republics from CoCom’s proscribed list of destination countries, the Polish government was preparing to introduce a bill guaranteeing the non re-export of licensed technology at the end of March. Romania is rumoured to be preparing similar legislation. Hungary was removed from the CoCom blacklist in 1992. Although CoCom was itself formally disbanded last Thursday, March 31, the last minute rush to come into the fold appears motivated in a large part by the desire of these countries to be invited to join CoCom’s successor organisation which is intended to shift the focus of export controls to Iran, Iraq, Libya and North Korea. Negotiations over CoCom’s successor are currently taking place in the Hague, but are believed to be behind schedule, however. The feeling within IBM Eastern Europe is that it remains possible that no agreement will be reached on what and whom to control, and the possibility that export controls will be devolved to be the responsibility of the government each country of export and their respective security services was looming larger as each day passed to the March 31 deadline for CoCom’s abolition.
