Romania’s activity within COMECON

The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON) was created in 1949 to coordinate economic relations between countries in the socialist camp. Although it was presented as a replica of the Marshall Plan, by creating COMECON Stalin in fact wanted to tighten Moscow’s economic control over satellite countries. Starting with 1962, Romania had a critical position concerning Soviet proposals to integrate the economies of communist countries, preferring to use its raw material resources for its own development. During the 1970s and especially during the 1980s, Nicolae Ceaușescu adopted a more flexible attitude towards collaboration within COMECON.