Council for mutual economic cooperation

(Comecon), an intenational organisation created in January 1949 in Moscow. Its purpose was mutual economic exchange between countries of the Soviet bloc and an attempt to compete with the emerging European economic cooperation after WWII.

Founding members were Albania (excluded in 1961), Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, hungary, Poland, GDR, Romania and the USSR; Mongolia joined in 1962, Cuba in 1972, Vietnam in 1976. Yugoslavia was an associate member since 1964. A dominant position in the Comecon was occupied by the USSR, also based on its political power. The USST dictated the priorities and goals. For example at the beginning of the 1950s at the time of the culminating Cold war it emphasized heavy and military industry. Member states of the Comecon committed themselves to mutual economic cooperation which oftentimes was supposed to replace the interrupted contacts with Western Europe. Nikita Khrushchov strived for deeper economic cooperation (which was supposed to be realised starting inn 1960) which finally did not take place due to the resistance of Bulgaria and Romania.

For Czechoslovakia, participation in the Comecon was not advantageous. It led to the closure of the market and a drop in competitiveness of products.   

The Conoucil for mutual economic cooperation was dissolved on 28 September 1991.