Eastern Bloc Pushes Trade Ties With Common Market : Perestroika Is Producing a Thaw That’s Felt in Brussels

The Soviet Union and several Eastern Bloc countries are moving to establish new trade ties with the European Common Market as part of their push to overhaul their own economies under the perestroika program.

Until recently, Moscow did not formally recognize the 12-country Common Market, even though the compact’s Brussels-based headquarters secretariat is legally empowered to conduct trade relations for each of the member states.

On Thursday, however, the Common Market and the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, or Comecon--the Eastern Bloc’s leading economic organization--issued a joint declaration that European officials say will pave the way for increased economic cooperation.

And on the same day two Comecon countries--the Soviet Union and East Germany--formally asked the Common Market for a “normalization” of political and economic ties. Common Market officials say that they expect a similar request from Czechoslovakia on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Common Market has begun negotiating trade agreements with Hungary, Romania and Czechoslovakia. There was no immediate indication Friday when those accords might be completed.

The latest actions by the Eastern Bloc countries are largely symbolic. European officials say there still is no sign that European trade with the Communist countries will increase dramatically over the next several months.

Still, Willy De Clercq, the Common Market’s trade minister, told U.S. journalists via a satellite television press conference Friday that the moves reflect “a great change in attitude” on the part of the Eastern Bloc countries, which previously had refused to deal with Brussels in trade talks with European countries.

Common Market officials said the Eastern Bloc countries will continue to negotiate bilateral trade agreements with their member countries on some issues but they will engage in broader talks with Brussels on major trade problems. Brussels is acquiring more power in the economic field as Europe moves toward establishing a single, integrated economy by 1992.

The move by the Comecon countries to establish formal ties with the Common Market marked another step in the gradual, but so far steady, “opening up” of the Soviet and some Eastern European economies.

Although De Clercq himself did not say so, some Soviet-watchers believe that the process could be strengthened by the outcome of the recent summit meeting between President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev. Reagan has specifically asked the United States’ European allies to help bolster Gorbachev’s attempts to overhaul the Soviet economy, and the issue is expected to be discussed at the annual seven-nation Western economic summit in Toronto June 19-23.