Long-Term Special Cooperation Programmes, a form of joint planned activity by the CMEA, Council for Mutual Economic Assistance. Their purpose is the joint solution of the most important national economic problems within the socialist community. The long-term programmes specify concrete activities for ensuring the satisfaction of the economically justified needs of the CMEA member countries for various kinds of energy, fuel, and raw materials; for developing engineering through deep specialisation and cooperation of production; satisfying reasonable needs for the main types of food and industrial consumer goods; and developing transportation links between the CMEA members. Closely connected with further improvement of the well-being of the CMEA member countries’ population, the long-term special programmes are designed to accelerate the building of socialism and communism, consolidate the economic power of the socialist states, increase production effectiveness, and bring about an evening out (rapprochement) of economic development levels of the socialist countries. The need for long-term programmes arises because of the tasks involved in the current and long-term development of the economies of the members of the socialist community. To ensure that the economically justified needs for energy, fuel and raw materials are met and technological progress accelerated, it is necessary to constantly increase investments, which is beyond the means of any individual country. The objective need to extend the planning time span today calls for the elaboration of long-term plans (see Long-Term Planning) for economic, scientific, and technological development, the fulfilment of which would solve the key problems in building socialism and communism in each fraternal country. The socio-economic problems facing the socialist countries, despite their national specifics, are becoming more and more international in nature. The rate and level of the socio-economic development of any socialist country depend on the state of the fuel, energy, and financial resources of the entire community, and on its production, scientific and technological potential. Collective use of the joint industrial power of the socialist countries through mutual assistance, specialisation, and cooperation is a clear manifestation of internationalism in the economic sphere. In this context, coordination of economic development, technological designs and capital investment into interlinked sectors of industry and agriculture is just as high on the agenda of the socialist countries as is coordination of general cooperation.