Confederate Republics of Europe
Confederate Republics of Europa | |
|---|---|
[[File:|125px|border|Flag of Europa]]
Flag | |
| Capital | TBC |
| Largest | Paris |
| Demonym(s) | European |
| Government | Constitutional Confederacy |
| Population | |
• Estimate | 217,616,112 (2022) |
| GDP (PPP) | estimate |
• Total | $10,964,000,000,000 |
• Per capita | £50,386 |
The Confederate Republics of Europe is a sovereign nation-state in A Modern World, based in Western Europe, with limited territorial holdings elsewhere in the world. The Confederate Republics, also known as the European Confederacy, is a democratic state is a (con)federal state with a written constitution.
History
Government and Politics
The European Confederacy is a parliamentary confederacy, in which the authority of the central government is mainly limited to matters of national development, foreign affairs, and defence, with the majority of domestic matters reserved to the individual Republics which make up the Confederacy. The authority of the Confederate Government to interfere in the affairs of the Republics is limited to a somewhat vague general welfare clause in the Constitution. Due to the diverse nature of the Confederacy’s ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups, such a decentralised system was the only one upon which all members could agree, even if most acknowledged it was by no means the most efficient. The Constitution ensures all Confederate systems certain rights, and requires a democratic form of government for each Republic, but within these loose confines the Republics may administer their own affairs as they see fit.
As a result, the Confederate Government’s budget is smaller than that of a traditional unitary state, as it’s direct responsibilities are far lower due to the fact that the constituent Republics handle many domestic affairs themselves, thereby having higher budgets themselves than is usually the case. As such, the Confederate Budget is split into two key areas; the standing budget, which handles those requirements to meet the Government’s responsibilities, and the investment budget, which is designed to complement the budgets of the constituent Republics in certain areas, and is one of the means by which Government influences the Republics. Revenue for the Confederate Budget is raised by three key means; custom duties on goods entering the Confederacy, a goods and services tax (only on goods and services that cross the borders of the constituent Republics, and contributions from each of the Republics (drawn from the income taxes and other revenue raised by the individual Republics). As a result, the Confederate Government is able to raise adequate funds for its purposes, through the means allowed it by the Constitution, principally without applying direct taxes to the citizens of the Republics (which is a key competency of the Republics).
Constitutionally, the power to enact customs duties is explicitly granted to the Government, principally as a means to ensure that no Republic is unfairly disadvantaged when it comes to attracting imports based solely on the duties being charged, whilst the Republic Contribution is also specifically laid out in the Constitution, with the exact size of the contribution to be set by the Confederate Senate (being the voice of the Republics) but not to fall below a certain threshold (1% of a Republic’s own revenue). Whilst the Confederate Goods and Services Levy is not specifically granted by the Constitution, and has been challenged by Sovereigntists on the grounds that it directly taxes individuals and corporations on the behalf of the Confederate Government, it has has been ruled constitutional due principally to the fact that is only applied (as a value added tax) to those individuals that choose to utilise goods and services that rely on the inter-Republic infrastructure provided and maintained by the Confederal Government. Due to the intricacies of the Confederate Constitution, the various revenue streams may only be used for certain purposes; the Confederate Goods and Services Levy for example cannot be used for funding the Confederate Defence Forces, but can be used for funding national infrastructure.
Presidium
The Presidium is the federal executive governing body of the Confederacy, led by the President, whose authority is relatively weak, serving primarily as a first amongst equals and as the Confederacy’s head of state when interacting with foreign nations. As a result, the power wielded by any individual President is heavily determined by their individual charisma, reputation, and ability to build a consensus, both within the Presidium and the legislature. The President’s position as first amongst equals is ensured by the fact that he nominates the other ministers, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate, and there are no term limits, and is the only individual elected by every single Confederate citizen in every Republic, and it is from this fact that much of his influence, authority (informal as it may be) and legitimacy is drawn.
The current President of the Confederate Republics of Europe is TBC of TBC.
President of the Confederate Republics
The President of the Confederate Republics, also known as the President of the Confederacy, is the chief executive of the Confederate Government, and leads the Presidium, whom he is responsible, with the advice and consent of the Senate, for appointing.
2002 - 2010: 2010 - 2018: 2018 - Present: TBC
Secretary for Constitutional Affairs
The Secretary for Constitutional Affairs (SCA) is a member of the Presidium of the Confederate Republics of Europe, and is the senior member after the President, responsible for managing the constitutional relationship between the Confederate Government and the individual Republics through the Department for Constitutional Affairs. In the earliest years of the Confederacy, the SCA played an integral role in turning the Confederate Constitution from a framework into a living, breathing means by which the Confederacy could function. In the years since, the SCA has become the primary representative of the Confederate Government to the Republics, being answerable to the Confederate Senates (which represents the Republics) at any time, as well as a key mediator in disputes between the Republics. In this manner, the SCA effectively serves as a ‘foreign minister’ between the Government and the Republics.
Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Partnerships
The Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Partnerships (SFAIP) is a member of the Presidium of the Confederate Republics of Europe, and is the second senior member after the President and the Secretary for Constitutional Affairs, responsible for managing the foreign relationships of Confederacy and international states, through the Department for Foreign Affairs and International Partnerships. In the early years of the Confederacy, the Secretary was responsible for consolidating the foreign affairs of eleven member states into one cohesive foreign policy, with the added complication that, in the early years, there was little appetite in the Confederate Senate for major international agreements whilst the Confederacy was getting its own house in order.
Secretary for Budget and Administration
The Secretary for Budget and Administration (SBA) is a member of the Presidium of the Confederate Republics of Europe, and is the third senior member after the President, the SCA, and the SFAIP, responsible for serving as the chief financial officer of the Confederate Government. The SBA is responsible for formulating and recommending financial, economic, and tax policy, participating in the formation of fiscal policies that have general significance over the entire economy, working closely with the Secretary for Economic and Commercial Affairs. The SBA overseas the activities of the Department for Budget and Administration in carrying out major enforcement responsibilities, in serving as the financial agent for the Confederate Government, and in manufacturing coins and currency. The SBA is one of only two Presidium Members who directly controls Confederal law enforcement, mostly linked to the revenue powers of the Confederate Government.
Secretary for Economic and Commercial Affairs
The Secretary for Economic and Commercial Affairs (SECA) is a member of the Presidium of the Confederate Republics of Europe, responsible for both the management of the internal market of the Confederacy (one of the key exclusive competencies of the Confederate Government) and setting the Confederacy’s international trade policy, working closely with the SFAIP.
Secretary for Innovation and Research
Secretary for National Development & Infrastructure
The Secretary for National Development is a member of the Presidium of the Confederate Republics of Europe, responsible for the complex and demanding task of co-ordinating the development and expansion of the Confederate-wide infrastructure, as well as providing policy, guidance and funding for Republic-specific infrastructure projects. As a result, the SNDI has played a leading role within the Confederate Government since the Confederacy’s founding due to the need to integrate and standardise eleven different infrastructure systems, and the fact that national development projects, by their very nature, are well within one of the key shared competencies of the Confederate Government.
Secretary for Education and Culture
Secretary for Defence, Security & Intelligence
The Secretary for Defence, Security & Intelligence (SDSI) is a member of the Presidium of the Confederate Republics of Europe, responsible for co-ordinating the defence and security of the Confederacy as a whole, as well as overseeing the Confederate Intelligence Community. As a result, the SDSI is responsible for the civilian control of the Confederate Defence Forces (answering ultimately to the President), co-ordinating the plans for Republican forces operating under the Grand Army of the Confederacy), setting policy for both the Confederate Security Bureau and it’s counterparts in the individual Republics, as well as Confederate Intelligence. As a result, the SDSI has both arguably the greatest power and authority of any member of the Presidium, but this is balanced by being subject to the greatest scrutiny by the Confederate Senate.
Secretary for Public Safety, Justice & Crisis Management
The Secretary for Public Safety, Justice & Crisis Management (SPSJCM) is a member of the Presidium of the Confederate Republics of Europe, responsible for co-ordinating public safety, the execution of justice (and the enforcement of the law), and managing crises across the Confederacy. The SPSJCM accomplishes these responsibilities largely through two key institutions; the Confederate Guard, which is a combined law enforcement and civil defence organisation, the Confederate Emergency Management Agency (CEMA). Outside of matters immediately rising to the attention of the Secretary, such as those involving multiple Republics or violation of Confederate Law, the Department is also responsible for co-ordinating crisis management and civil defence preparations more broadly, and in supporting constituent Republics to do the same.
Parliament of the Confederate Republics of Europe
The Parliament of the Confederate Republic of Europe, commonly known more simply as the European Parliament, is the bicameral legislature of the Confederacy, responsible for passing legislation that has power within all of the Confederacy’s constituent Republics, although the competencies in which it may act are limited by the Constitution, although not to the extent to which the executive is constrained. However, due to the nature of the representative legislature the Parliament wields significant political power within the Confederacy. The upper house, the Senate, is made up of five representatives from each Republic, and is therefore seen as voice of the Republics. The lower house, the House of Representatives, is made up of elected representatives apportioned to the Republics along population lines, and is seen as the voice of the people. Collectively, therefore, the European Parliament is the only body with the democratic legitimacy to make laws that would impact multiple Republics, although to date there has been little appetite for wide reaching legislation domestically.
The Senate, representing the constituent Republics, is the upper house of the European Parliament, and consists of six representatives from each Republic, resulting in a total composition of sixty-six (66) Senators. Individual Senators are appointed, to permanent terms (albeit with a mandatory retirement age of 75), by their respective Republic, and whilst there are few specific qualifications to become a Senator, only that the individual is not beholden to economic vagaries or turmoil (and is a citizen of the Republic they represent), the expectation is that each Republic only send its best and brightest. As the upper house, the Senate has certain privileges over the House of Representatives, as although it may not originate finance bills (which is a right held solely by the House), it does approval nominations to the Presidium (and other key positions) nominated by the President, and in addition to being able to introduce other legislation its main ole is to act as a place of ‘sober-second thought’ to legislation passed by the elected representatives, and its approval is required for any such legislation.
The House of Representatives, representing the People, is the lower house of the European Parliament, and consists of democratically elected Representatives, resulting in a total composition of eight hundred (800) Representatives. Seats within the House are distributed in proportion to the population of each Republic, and its Representatives are directly responsible to their constituents, from whom they derive their democratic legitimacy. The House is the origin of the vast majority of legislation, and is solely responsible for the introduction of finance bills, and due to its position representing the people is generally seen as the dominant chamber within Parliament, and it is to the House that the President is ultimately responsible.