Myrian Union

Myrian Union 密里安联盟 (Myrian) 巳廉連合 (Mizuhese)
Flag
Member states of the Myrian Union highlighted in navy blue Partners of the Myrian Free Trade Area highlighted in light blue
Committees of the Union	Rongyu Myrian Secretariat Myrian Quorum Myrian Congress Fusou Conclave of Ministers Tribunal of the Myrian Union Haibin Reserve Bank of Myria Audit Board of Myria
Working languages	Myrian Mizuhese
Type	Supranational Union
Membership	Full Members Tianlong Fusou Free Trade Area Members Keija
Leaders
• Secretary-General	Húxiān Minamoto
• President of the Myrian Quorum	TBD
• Chairman of the Myrian Conclave	TBD
• Speaker of the Myrian Congress	TBD
• Chief Justice of the Myrian Tribunal	TBD
• Governor of the Reserve Bank of Myria	TBD
• Chair of the Audit Board of Myria	TBD
Establishment
• Myrian Free Trade Area	10 April 1956
• Myrian Fisheries Treaty	31 October 1961
• Association of Myrian Nations	22 August 1970
• Myrian Customs Union	9 of July 1989
• Charter of the Myrian Union	1 January 2012
Area
• Total	6,621,704 km2 (2,556,654 sq mi)
Population
• 2015 estimate	245,132,113
• Density	37.02/km2 (95.9/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2015 estimate
• Total	M12,335 Trillion
• Per capita	M50,319
GDP (nominal)	2015 estimate
• Total	M12,335 Trillion
• Per capita	M50,319
Currency	Mora (M)

The Myrian Union (MU) (Myrian: 密里安联盟 Mìlǐān Liánméng; Mizuhese: 巳廉連合 Miren-rengō) is a political and economic union of all nations in the Myrian continent, its primary objectives are the economic integration & cooperation, providing regional security & stability as well as a military alliance amongst member states. Its two member states are the Commonwealth of Tianlong and the Fusou Empire, has a total area of 6,621,704 km2 (2,556,654 sq mi) which covers the entire continent of Myria and a combined population of more than 245 million citizens. Some of the most notable policies of the MU is the free movement of goods, servies, capital & people within the MU Common Market, establishment of monetary union (Morazone) in 2012 which came into full force by 2016 where both Tianlong & Fusou adopted the Mora as their national currencies, and the ability for the MU to propose and pass laws in certain areas without the need for approval from member states. The latter is only made possible as all member states have agreed to cede some of their sovereignty to the MU, these areas include: the single market, the Morazone, the customs union and the MU's environmental policies. This arrangement has allowed the Union to act unilaterally but only within the areas specifically where member states have given it permission to do so. Internal border checks and passport controls have been abolished and citizens from member states are free to travel, live, and work freely without the need to apply for a visa.

As one of the newest supranational unions, the MU has sought to invite other nations to join whether as full member states, observers or partners in one of its three economic programs: the Myrian Free Trade Area, the Myrian Customs Union or the Myrian Common Market. The MU can trace its origins to the establishment of the Myrian Free Trade Area in 1956. This was when both Tianlong & Fusou agreed to promote economic growth & cooperation between themselves and was quickly followed by the Myrian Fisheries Treaty of 1961. An informal intergovernmental forum known as the Association of Myrian Nations was formed in 1970 where the heads of governments & ministers from both Tianlong & Fusou would meet on an annual basis to discuss various matters ranging from social issues to economic ventures. The AMN is often considered as the precursor of the MU itself as it was through the 1989 AMN Summit was the Myrian Customs Union was formed. As the decades went on and both Tianlong & Fusou became more economically & politically integrated, discussions were held at the highest level of government whether or not to make a more structured organization. Negotiations began in 2008 and finally concluded in 2011. Both countries then held referendums for its citizens, allowing its citizens to choose which path their nations will take. Be it maintain the status quo or to establish the MU. By a majority, the populations of both countries approved for the establishment of the Myrian Union and thus on the 1st of January 2012, the MU was formed.

History

Origins

The idea of a unified Myrian Nation dates back to the classical era of the early 3rd Century. Historians agree that the Zhudao Empire is the first example of a unified Myrian state, although its rule was largely done through a series of vassal kingdoms. After its collapse in the 12th century, many Kingdoms and Dynasties portrayed themselves as the successor of Zhudao although the basis of these claims vary widely. Some claim to be the successor through religious means, while others portray themselves as the legal continuation of Zhudao. Wars of conquest dominated the Myrian continent throughout the 13th and 18th centuries The largest of these wars are collectively referred to as the Myrian Continental Wars. Constantly shifting alliances, annexations and breakaway provinces fed to the instability and volatility of international relations in the continent. It was not until the end of the Continental Wars in 1739 did the concept of a peaceful Pan-Myrian unification was first floated. By the mid 18th century, many Myrian nations have grown wary of another large scale conflict and thus were incentivized to construct a system of checks and balances that would prevent the escalation of another Continental War. This system resulted in the reshaping of Myria's political landscape, borders were redrawn to reduce potential friction amongst nations and trade agreements established to promote trade throughout the continent. This concept eventually gave birth to the Commonwealth of Tianlong in 1887 when seven Myrian nations confederated to establish a sovereign entity. While it did not include all nations, excluding those nations dominated by Orikins, it did envelope almost the entirety of the Myrian continent. The Fusou Empire represented the balancing power to the Commonwealth of Tianlong in Myria at the time.

The Myrian Canal Conflict and the Third Voshan War saw both Tianlong and the nation of Fusou to foster closer political, economic & military ties together. Fusou acted as a mediator for Tianlong during the Myrian Canal Conflict, whereas both nations fought together as allies during the Third Voshan War. After the Voshan War ended both Tianlong & Fusou signed and ratified a Free Trade Agreement known as the Myrian Free Trade Area.

Government & Politics

The Myrian Union was established through a series of treaties that has been ratified throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. The 2012 Charter of the Myrian Union enshrines these treaties into a single cohesive document, forming the foundations of the Union. The powers of the union are granted through the principle of bestowment, and according to this principle member states of the Myrian Union voluntarily cede certain aspects of their sovereignty to the union. As a result, the union is given exclusive rights to act on behalf of all member states in areas where it has been given bestowment by its member states. On the other hand, the union does not have the right to intervene in matters that are outside of the rights that were bestowed upon it. In all treaties, member states of the union are referred to as the sovereign holders of treaties, reflecting the enshrined status of each member states sovereignty.

Committees

The Myrian Union has seven principal decision making bodies known as Committees, with five responsible for the governance of the union and two for the direct administration of union laws. These Committees are: the Myrian Secretariat, the Myrian Quorum, the Conclave of Ministers, the Myrian Congress, Tribunal of the Myrian Union, Reserve Bank of Myria and the Audit Board of Myria. Executive powers are exercised by the Myrian Secretariat as it is the only body who posses the powers of legislative initiative allowing it to propose laws whereas both the Conclave of the Myrian Union & the Myrian Congress share powers only to approve/reject legislation and recommend amendments.

Governance

• Myrian Secretariat: The Secretariat serves as the union's executive arm and holds legislative initiative in the union government. It is led by the Secretary-General, whose position is nominated by the Conclave and must be approved by Congress. The Secretary-General may then appoint a collegiate body of Under-Secretaries who help assist the Secretary-General in performing day-to-day governance of the union, each responsible for a specific or a group of issues such as the environment, social policies, coordination between member states and many others. These Under-Secretaries must also be approved by Congress.
• Myrian Quorum: The Quorum is the union's advisory arm, is responsible for providing guidance and advise to the various committees of the union and its members are comprised of the heads of government from every member state of the union. The Quorum meets once every year, continuing the tradition of the annual summits of the Association of Myrian Nations. Currently it is comprised of two members from both Tianlong and Fusou. The Quorum is led by a President of the Quorum, a rotating presidency which ensures each member state is given a fair chance to hold the Presidency of the Quorum once every two years.
• Conclave of Ministers: The Conclave is one of the two legislative bodies of the union, however it does not hold the power of legislative initiative. It may only approve, reject or propose amendments of legislation passed from the Myrian Congress and in this scope it acts as the equivalent of an upper house of the union's legislative structure. As its name suggests the Conclave is comprised of the Ministers from each member state and come together when legislation from Congress has been approved. While Congress ensures that the voice of the union citizens are heard, the Conclave ensures that the government from each member state are given a voice as well. The Conclave also holds the powers to impeach the Secretariat and, in the event a member state of the union is attacked, to approve declarations of war when requested by the Secretariat.
• Myrian Congress: Congress is thhe second legislative body of the union, like the Conclave it only holds the power to approve, reject or propose amendments for bills proposed by the Secretariat and serves as the union's equivalent of a lower house. Its members are referred to as Members of the Myrian Parlimanet (MMP) who are directly elected by citizens of every member state during every Myrian Election cycles. Congress also has the power to approve or reject the nominated Secretary-General and their nominations of Under-Secretaries.
• Tribunal of the Myrian Union: This is the equivalent of the union's judiciary branch, whose judges are nominated by all member states of the union on an equal basis. It oversees various court cases but only in matters related to Myrian Union Law. The Tribunal is further divided into two sub-branches: the Constitutional Court which oversees matters related to Myrian Union Law, a term that collectively refers to all the treaties & articles enshrined in the Charter of the Myrian Union. National governments are the general users of the Constitutional Court. The second branch of the Tribunal is the General Tribunal where national governments, companies/organizations and private citizens.

Administration

• Reserve Bank of Myria: The RBM serves as the MU's central bank it makes & enforces the monetary policy for the Morazone and the Myrian Union, sole right to authorize the issuance & printing of Mora banknotes and determines interest rate of the Myrian Union. Its stocks is owned by the two central banks of MU members as shareholders of the RBM. The RBM was formed in 2012 to maintain price stability of the Mora when it comes into full force in 2016. All central banks of the MU must follow the policies & monetary policy established by the RBM.
• Audit Board of Myria: The ABM is professional and independent audit agency of the MU that is responsible for the accountability of all financial activities undertaken by the various committees & organs of the Myrian Union. It ensures that the various spending made by the MU as a whole was done legally and responsibly. It conducts annual audits of the MUs budget and may conduct an audit on specific areas of the MU when requested to do so by a member state. While the ABM must be consulted by the Myrian Secretariat for any legislation that has financial implications, it may only provide a non-binding advisories.

Capacities

Capacities are specific areas of governance and sovereignty has been voluntarily transferred from member states to the Myrian Union. This act is known as bestowment. By bestowing the MU with certain Capacities its member states voluntarily renounces any capability to initiate or pass legislation related to said Capacities. There are three types of Capacities: Exclusive, Shared & Coordinating.

Security & Defense

See Main Article: Joint Defense Forces

The Joint Defense Forces (JDF) is the military branch of the MU and is comprised of personnel from both Tianlong & Fusou. It was established to allow the union to respond to both regional and international crises crises swiftly without the need to mobilize the main armed forces of its member states. The Secretary-General of the MU serves as the commander-in-chief of all JDF personnel. The JDF is an important part of the MUs foreign policy as it provides the MU with deterrence capability and allows it to project power on both regional and (limited) global scales. The primary purpose of the JDF however is to maintain regional security & stability throughout the Myrian region and international deployments generally involves humanitarian missions rather than as an offensive force. Unlike a standard military alliance, the JDF is an official military organization and its commanders have the authority to punish offences that its personnel has committed, regardless of the country of origin of its personnel. This authority is limited to only JDF personnel, JDF commanders does not have the authority to issue orders to personnel from either the Commonwealth Self-Defense Forces nor the Fusou Armed Forces although they may coordinate actions and activities between the two military organizations. The JDF and its personnel is also accountable to the various laws and treaties of the Myrian Union. The JDF is comprised of three primary components: the Joint Expeditionary Groups (JEG), Myrian Aerospace Command (MACO) and JDF Naval Service.

Economy

The predecessor of the MU was originally envisioned as a medium-sized trade bloc comprised of only a free trade area as well as a customs union. The free trade area and customs union were created for the express purposes of promoting trade and economic integration between Tianlong & Fusou respectively. Both countries had traded extensively with each other throughout the mid 20th century. The Myrian Secretariat publishes an bi-annual report that estimates the projected growth of each member state for the next five years. Foreign nations are permitted to join only one or two aspects of the MU's various trade arrangements. Currently the Keija participates in the Myrian Free Trade Area and is therefore no tariffs are placed upon goods and services coming to and from Keija to the MU. However, there are still quotas and a slightly more comprehensive customs checks as Keija is not a participant in the Myrian Customs Union. The combined GDP of the MU's member states is estimated to stand at around $11.2 Trillion, worth approximately 16.4% of the global wealth.

Morazone & Financial Services

Talks for the establishment of a monetary union between Tianlong & Fusou could be traced as far back as the 1989 AMN Summit, when the Myrian Customs Union was established. The Tianlong Government at the time was worried that Tianlong's currency, the Commonwealth Credit, had a strong exchange. While it usually means the currency is strong it also had the unintended result in Tianlong goods and services being less competitive as the market would perceive it as more expensive. Furthermore businesses in both Tianlong & Fusou frequently conduct cross-border transactions which requires constant exchanges of currencies. It has been theorized that a single monetary union would increase ease of cross-border business and trade, reduce foreign exchange risk and stimulate tourism between the two countries. These aspects are achieved as for businesses eliminating the need to exchange currencies means goods and services can be purchased at a predictable and stable rate, whereas tourism would be made easier as tourists no longer need to exchange money before travelling. The Mora eventually came to fruition with the signing of the Myrian Union where both Tianlong & Fusou agreed to adopt the Mora as the official currencies of their countries by 2016. Between 2012 - 2016 both countries gradually phased out their national currencies, with printing beginning in 2013. States that adopt the Mora as their currency were referred to as the Morazone. Various institutions such as the Reserve Bank of Myria (RBA) were established to oversee the union's monetary policy and maintain price stability throughout the Morazone. The RBA is led by a Governor who is elected by a board of commissioners comprised of the heads of the central banks of all member states. In order to join the Morazone countries must fulfill a series of criteria such as demonstrating a set of stringent financial obligations & procedures, demonstrate good fiscal discipline and many other criteria.  

Economic Framework of the Union

The economic framework of the MU is comprised of three core pillars: the Myrian Common Market, the Myrian Customs Union and the Myrian Free Trade Area. All trade conducted within the union is governed and monitored by the Myrian Trade Commission (MTC), an organ of the union responsible for the regulation of all economic & trading activity within the union.

• Myrian Free Trade Area (MFTA): is a free trade agreement that eliminates tariffs and quotas of goods traded between Myrian Union and all participants of the MFTA. The MFTA covers many sectors however the agriculture, fisheries and services sectors are excluded from the MFTA. The MFTA was first established in 1956 and ratified by Tianlong & Fusou. It has since been amended twice, once in 1975 and again in 2001. Currently the United States of Keija is a member of the MFTA but is not a member of the Myrian Union. The MFTA is one of the most flexible trade agreements that can be struck between external nations with the Myrian Union as provides economic benefits for both parties without the need for the external nation to adhere to the jurisdiction of the Myrian Tribunal.
• Myrian Customs Union (MCU): is a customs union between all member states of the MU. It incorporates most if not all aspects of the Myrian Free Trade Area but with the addition of imposing uniform tariffs and quotas of goods that enter the participants of the customs union. The MCU comes with a comprehensive list of regulations and laws as it requires every participant to prove that the origin of the goods being traded were made from a member state, not from an external party. Like the MFTA, the MCU does not regulate the agriculture, fisheries & services sectors. Participation in the MCU can involve the removal of some border checks for the movement of goods but not to the same degree provided by the MCM.
• Myrian Common Market (MCM): is the single market of the Myrian Union and is the culmination of the Myrian Free Trade Area and the Myrian Customs Union as it incorporates of aspects from the two aforementioned arrangements. One of the most defining aspects of the common market is the free movement of goods, capital, people and services within the Myrian Union. Under the common market border checks for all four elements are eliminated. There are no set amount of quotas or tariffs imposed upon goods that are traded within the union, capital such as business offices or assets may establish presence across the union more easily, people may travel and reside freely in all member states of the union without visas or permanent residence status, and people may work in all member states of the union without the need to apply for a work visa. As a result of the Myrian Common Market, all forms of border and passport controls for travel within member states of the union have been largely abolished. The implementation of a single market within the MU is to promote cross-border investment & trade between member as it eliminates many if not all trade barriers between member states. The harmonization of various industry standards such as safety, environmental, production and quality means that as long as goods produced within the union has been certified with these standards it can be freely traded without any further verification. The free movement of services not only covers professional workers, but also entrepreneurs, part-time and casual workers, as well as those who are self-employed.