In March 1948, in Brussels, Great Britain, France, Belgium, Holland and Luxemburg signed a treaty of mutual assistance and collective defence, thus initiating a separate group of West-European states known as “Western Union.”

The fourth meeting of the Consultative Council took place in London on January 27 and 28.

The Council took note with satisfaction of the work accomplished under the Brussels Treaty in the social and cultural spheres. A detailed statement on social and cultural matters is attached.

An economic conference of representatives of Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, the USSR and Czechoslovakia was held in Moscow in January.

The conference noted the substantial achievements made in developing economic relations among the aforementioned countries, which found expression, first and foremost, in a major increase in trade. The establishment of these economic relations and the implementation of the policy of economic co-operation enabled the countries of people's democracy and the USSR to accelerate recovery and the development of their national economies.