embers - (12) Denmark, Estonia, EC, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia,
Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden

Council of the Entente (Entente): established - 29 May 1959

aim - to promote economic, social, and political coordination

members - (5) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Niger, Togo

countries in transition: a term used by the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) for the middle group in its hierarchy of advanced economies,
countries in transition, and developing countries; IMF statistics
include the following 28 countries in transition: Albania, Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech
Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia,
Lithuania, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova,
Mongolia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan; note - this
group is identical to the group traditionally referred to as the
"former USSR/Eastern Europe" except for the addition of Mongolia

Customs Cooperation Council (CCC): note - see World Customs
Organization (WCO)

developed countries (DCs): the top group in the hierarchy of developed
countries (DCs), former USSR/Eastern Europe (former USSR/EE), and less
developed countries (LDCs); includes the market-oriented economies of
the mainly democratic nations in the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD), Bermuda, Israel, South Africa, and
the European ministates; also known as the First World, high-income
countries, the North, industrial countries; generally have a per capita
GDP in excess of $10,000 although four OECD countries and South Africa
have figures well under $10,000 and two of the excluded OPEC countries
have figures of more than $10,000; the 34 DCs are: Andorra, Australia,
Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland,
France, Germany, Greece, Holy See, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy,
Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, NZ,
Norway, Portugal, San Marino, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey, UK, US; note - similar to the new International Monetary Fund
(IMF) term "advanced economies" that adds Hong Kong, South Korea,
Singapore, and Taiwan but drops Malta, Mexico, South Africa, and Turkey

developing countries: a term used by the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) for the bottom group in its hierarchy of advanced economies,
countries