CoCom (Coordinating Committee on multilateral export control, dt. co-ordination committee for multilateral export controls, before: Coordinating Committee for East west trade Policy) was created on 22 November 1949 and took up to 1 January 1950 the work, with seat to Paris and on urge of the USA was initiated and should prevent that the countries under Soviet influence or Soviet crew (RGW/Comecon) get and the People's Republic of China entrance to modern technology. This concerned the areas weapons, nuclear power plants and industrial plants. This had special effects apart from pure weapons technology with associated microelectronics. Often this western technology boycott was called CoCom list only briefly, since therein the forbidden technologies were listed. Older technology was released and newest technology instead taken up. Due to for the Eastern Bloc countries developing additional costs and increasing development arrears can this embargo as successful apply.

The CoCom consisted of 17 member states: Australia, Belgium, Denmark, (west) Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the united kingdom and the United States. Important non-members, but under Cocom influence by the USA were Taiwan, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria and Finnland.Die work were based on three main directions (development prohibition lists, consultations to actualizations for newest technologies, conferences for the examination of the efficiency of the trade restrictions) most important instrument of power were sanction threats: Black list avoiding companies (approx. 200), so-called confidential "denial orders ", obligatorily on US firms world-wide, thus exclusion of orders for government. In particular under US president Ronald Reagan was strengthened into the 1980er years the defense against eastern restaurant espionage and illegal technology exports. A plausible whereabouts proof had to be supplied with to the authorities of the western export control. Against payment of a high boycott addition some western companies were nevertheless ready to supply high technology.

In the GDR the range Koko and the HV A of the MfS was thus concerned with the conspiratorial procurement of technical information and embargo commodity, high-performance computers, plants to the memory chip production and military equipment. The western secret services were well informed about the procurement ways by some defectors, were not allowed to intervene however for political reasons not substantial.

On common resolution of the members CoCom became as a committee to 31. March 1994 dissolved, the export check lists however still further maintained. In December 1995 the Wassenaar agreement began the follow-up. To it also Russia belongs beside former Eastern Bloc countries.

See also

• Embargo
• ITAR
• Dual Use

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