Old/Palmeria-FontUnion

File:IU flag.png

The Font Union (FU) is a politico-economic union of currently 3 member states that are primarily located in Sarpedon. The FU operates through a system of supranational independent institutions and intergovernmental negotiated decisions by the member states. Institutions of the FU include the Councill of Member States (of the Font Union), the Font Assembly, The Union Central Bank, The Font Medical & Human Aid organization, and The Font Space Agency. The Font Assembly is elected by endorsments recieved by member states.

The FU has its own flag. The flag consists of 12 white stars, stands for perfection and peace on a blue background that stand for harmony and diversity. The Union's anthem "We Write the Story" present the symbolic ideal of the unity of the member states.

The FU traces its origins from the PALSAW union, after signing the PalSaw-Trade-Agreements, formed by the Inner two countries, The Federal Republic of Palmeria and The Democratic Republic of Sawra (Levantx). Later on the Revolutionary Republic of Sumarma was the first non-founding state to join the peace and democratic project 'Font Union'.

The FU has developed a single market through a standardised system of laws that apply in all member states. Within the Font Area, passport controls have been abolished. FU policies aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital, enact legislation in justice and home affairs, and maintain common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries, and regional development.

The monetary union was established at the same time, and came into full force after the election of the Assembly. It is composed of all member states that use the font (F) as their legal tender. Through the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the FU has developed a role in external relations and defence. The union maintains permanent diplomatic missions throughout the world and represents itself at Regional Conferences, the IMTO, the IHA, and the OIC. The Font Unio has also created special economic relations with the Imperial Kingdom of Pauldustllah. The Imperial Kingdom is the only country who's currency (Dusty) is been connected with the Font (F), equal value. The Union and the kingdom also have exceptional border restriction and free movement status with each other, according to biletaral agreement.

Constitutional nature

Further information: "Treaty on the Ixnay Union" The classification of the Font Union in terms of international or constitutional law has been much debated, often in the light of the degree of integration that is perceived, desired, or expected. Historically, at least, the FU is an international organisation, and by some criteria, it could be classified as a confederation; but it also has many attributes of a federation, so some would classify it as a (de facto) federation of states. For this reason, the organisation has, in the past, been termed 'sui generis' (incomparable, one of a kind), though it is also argued that this designation is no longer true.

The organisation itself has traditionally used the terms "community", and later "union". The difficulties of classification involve the difference between national law (where the subjects of the law include natural persons and corporations) and international law (where the subjects include sovereign states and international organisations); the term federation is equated with a sovereign federal state in international law; so the FU cannot be called a federal state or federation—at least, not without qualification. Though not, strictly, a federation, it is more than a free-trade association. It is, however, described as being based on a federal model or federal in nature. The Levantian Constitutional Court refers to the Font Union as an association of sovereign states and affirms that making the FU a federation would require replacement of the levantx constitution. Others claim that it will not develop into a federal state but has reached maturity as an international organisation.

Governance

The Font Union has five institutions: the Councill of Member States (CMS), the Font Assembly, The Union Central Bank (UCB), The Font Medical & Human Aid organization (FMHA), The Ixnay Space Agency (FSA). Competencies in scrutinising and amending legislation are divided between the Font Assembly and the Councill of Member states while executive tasks are carried out by the member states and in a limited capacity by the CMS and Assembly. The monetary policy of the 'Fontzone' is governed by the Union Central Bank. The interpretation and the application of FU law and the treaties are ensured by the Font Assembly and the CMS. The FU-budget is scrutinised by the Assembly.

The Font Union is governed by the Councill of Member States (CMS) & The Font Assembly, each having their own jurisdictions. The Union does not apply the overall separation of powers, the Assembly and the CMS can both make laws and execute these laws in limited manners. However the true executive power lies with the member states.

The Jurisdiction of the Institutions are as follow devided: The Councill of Member States:

• Foreign Affairs
• Military Policies
• Membership statute
• Constitutional or Treaty affairs or Reforms
• Approval of new member states

The Font Assembly:

• Harmonize national laws, decrees or values;
• Controlling and advising the national democratic chambers;
• Making regulations on the Union’s economic market;
• Ratifies International Treaties, after the Councill of Member states:
• Making bills and advising the CMS;
• Regulating the Font Area or Font Zone;
• Set regulations and determine general policy for the Font Space Agency (FSA);
• Set regulations and maintain authority over the Font Human and Medical Aid Organization and maintain control over the Ixnay Human Aid Fund (IHAF).

Other agencies are advising or supporting on executive branch the Font Assembly, although other agencies or institutions cannot make laws or resolution.

Sources

Laws and executive sources are valid if written and approved by the Councill of Member States or the Font Assembly. These legal sources are almost always binding. There are many different sources used by the insitutions:

RESOLUTION A resolution can be used by the Font Assembly and the Councill of Member States. If a resolution is been used, it always defines an executive demand of the institution.

The Font Assembly will use a resolution can use a resolution to advise the member states to act on certain cases, if the CMS has not reached agreement. It also can use a resolution to execute and publish its powers and jurisdictions.

The Councill of Member States will use a resolution as an overall executive demand of the Union and its member states, within its powers and jurisdiction.

DECREE A decree can only be used by the Font Assembly. A decree is a binding law on Font Union level, which applies for all member states. A decree should not be confused with the legislative actions of the CMS, because the CMS cannot create decrees.

TREATY CHANGES / TREATY AMENDEMENT Only the CMS can have the legislative power to change or propose amendments to the treaty. The Font Assembly has not the power to change the treaty, but can propose treaty changes. The Councill of Member States is the soul institution that can change the treaty.

PUBLICATION OF LEGASLATIVE SOURCES OF THE COUNCILL OF MEMBER STATES Very important to know is that the Councill of Member States has not the legal power to write legaslative pieces or laws. It can create in the form of a resolution or advise legaslative pieces, but it remains to the member states to create a legal piece of legislation on national level.

We therfore conclude that the CMS has the power to holds a legaslative power, but in practice the CMS will never create a kind of law.

AGREEMENTS An agreement or treaty between foreign countries and the Font Union are also legal pieces that are binding for the member states. All Treaties or agreements (bilateral/multilateral) are shared between the CMS and the Font Assembly. It is up to the CMS to negotiate the treaties or agreements with the foreign state(s), and it is the duty of the Font Assembly to ratify the treaty as legal binding law.

Councill of Member States

The Council gives direction to the FU, and convenes at least two times a year. It comprises one representative per member state; either its head of state or head of government or secretary of minister of a certain branche. The Council has been described by some as the Union's "supreme political authority". It is actively involved in the negotiation of the treaty changes and defines the FU's policy agenda and strategies.

The Councill of Member States uses its leadership role to sort out disputes between member states and the institutions, and to resolve political crises and disagreements over controversial issues and policies. It acts externally as a "collective head of state" and ratifies important documents (for example, international agreements and treaties).

The Councill of Member States should not be mistaken for the Ixnay Military Councill of the IMTO, an international Military organisation independent from the FU.

Font Assembly

The Assembly forms one half of the FU's legislature (the other half is the Council). The Members of the Assembly are directly elected by FU citizens on basis of endorsments recieved by member states. Each country has a set number of seats recieved by endorsment from other and one endorsment of the own country. How more endorsments recieved from other member states, how more seats the state will have in the Assembly.

The main power of the Assembly is the Internal policy of the FU, economy, security, cooperation, etc. The Font Assembly is also charged with the task to control the member states, their national parliamant and Government. Laws ans policies if not in conflict with Font Union decrees or treaties.

Legal system

The FU is based on a series of treaties. These first established the Ixnayean Community and the FU, and then made amendments to those founding treaties. These are power-giving treaties which set broad policy goals and establish institutions with the necessary legal powers to implement those goals. These legal powers include the ability to enact legislation which can directly affect all member states and their inhabitants. The FU has legal personality, with the right to sign agreements and international treaties.

Under the principle of supremacy, national courts are required to enforce the treaties that their member states have ratified, and thus the laws enacted under them, even if doing so requires them to ignore conflicting national law, and (within limits) even constitutional provisions.

Acts

The main legal acts of the FU come in three forms: regulations, directives, and decisions. Regulations become law in all member states the moment they come into force, without the requirement for any implementing measures, and automatically override conflicting domestic provisions. Directives require member states to achieve a certain result while leaving them discretion as to how to achieve the result. The details of how they are to be implemented are left to member states. When the time limit for implementing directives passes, they may, under certain conditions, have direct effect in national law against member states.

Decisions offer an alternative to the two above modes of legislation. They are legal acts which only apply to specified individuals, companies or a particular member state. They are most often used in competition law, or on rulings on State Aid, but are also frequently used for procedural or administrative matters within the institutions. Regulations, directives, and decisions are of equal legal value and apply without any formal hierarchy.

Foreign Relations

Foreign policy co-operation between member states dates from the establishment of the Community, when member states negotiated as a bloc in international trade negotiations under the Common Commercial policy or PALSAW-Agreements. Steps for a more wide ranging co-ordination in foreign relations have been set with the establishment of the CMS which created an informal consultation process between member states with the aim of forming common foreign policies. It was not, however, until the Jakerilia War when Ixnayean Political Cooperation was introduced on a formal CMS-foreign meeting.

The aims of the CMS-foreign meetings are to promote both the FU's own interests and those of the international community as a whole, including the furtherance of international co-operation, respect for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. The CMS requires unanimity among the member states on the appropriate policy to follow on any particular issue.

The CMS determins the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, speaks on behalf of the FU in foreign policy and defence matters, and has the task of articulating the positions expressed by the member states on these fields of policy into a common alignment.

Besides the emerging international policy of the Union, the international influence of the FU is also felt through enlargement. The perceived benefits of becoming a member of the FU act as an incentive for both political and economic reform in states wishing to fulfil the FU's accession criteria, and are considered an important factor contributing to the reform of Ixnayean countries. This influence on the internal affairs of other countries is generally referred to as "soft power", as opposed to military "hard power".

Military

The Font Union does not have one unified military. The predecessors of the Union were not devised as a strong military alliance because IMTO was largely seen as appropriate and sufficient for defence purposes. All FU members states are members of IMTO while some member states follow policies of neutrality.

Humanitarian aid

The Font Medical and Human Aid organization or "FMHA", provides humanitarian aid from the FU to developing countries and countries in a state of emergency. The FMHA has also an medical compenent that can be deployed in countries to help civilians in need. The FMHA is also a financial donor, but also a medical and mobilized organization. The Financial organ of the FMHA is named the 'the Ixnay Human Aid Funds' or IHAF, it is a funds that is under the control of the FMHA.

Font Area as Single Market & Costums Union

The FU has established a single market across the territory of all its members, better known as the 'Font Area'. all member states have also joined a monetary union known as the 'Fontzone', which uses the Font (F) as a single currency.

The single market involves the free circulation of goods, capital, people, and services within the FU, and the customs union involves the application of a common external tariff on all goods entering the market. Once goods have been admitted into the market they cannot be subjected to customs duties, discriminatory taxes or import quotas, as they travel internally.

The FU operates a competition policy intended to ensure undistorted competition within the single market. The Assembly and Union Central Bank as the competition regulator for the single market is responsible for antitrust issues, approving mergers, breaking up cartels, working for economic liberalisation and preventing state aid.

Fontzone as Monetary Union

The creation of a single currency became an official objective of the Font Economic Community. However, it was only with the advent of the Font Treaty that member states were legally bound to start the monetary union. On this date the Font was duly launched by all the member states of the FU.

The Font is designed to help build a single market by, for example: easing travel of citizens and goods, eliminating exchange rate problems, providing price transparency, creating a single financial market, price stability and low interest rates, and providing a currency used internationally and protected against shocks by the large amount of internal trade within the Fontzone. It is also intended as a political symbol of integration and stimulus for more.

The Union Central Bank or 'UCB' is the central bank for the Fontzone, and thus controls monetary policy in that area with an agenda to maintain price stability. It is at the centre of the Font System of Central Banks, which comprehends all FU national central banks and is controlled by its General Council.

Energy

The FU has a gross inland energy consumption. Around 46% of the energy consumed was produced within the member states while 54% was imported. In these statistics, Oil is treated as primary energy produced in the FU, of which less than 8% is produced in the FU.

The FU have legislative power in the area of energy policy; this has its roots in the original Coal to be ecofriendly. The introduction of a mandatory and comprehensive energy policy is still been debating on by the Assembly.

The FU has five key points in its energy policy: increase competition in the internal market, encourage investment and boost interconnections between electricity grids; diversify energy resources with better systems to respond to a crisis; establish a new treaty framework for energy co-operation with Absurrania and Yytuskia while improving relations with other energy-rich states; use existing energy supplies more efficiently while increasing renewable energy commercialisation; and finally increase funding for new energy technologies.

There are concerns that the Union's dependence on Absurrania energy is endangering the Union and its member countries. The FU is attempting to diversify its energy supply.

Infrastructure

The FU is working to improve cross-border infrastructure within the FU, for example through the Pauldustllah-PALSAW undersea Road Line. The developing Union transport policies will increase the pressure on the environment in many regions by the increased transport network.

The 'Numus' positioning system is a Levantian infrastructure project given to the FU. Numus is a proposed Satellite navigation system, to become under the Control of the Font Space Agency (FSA). The Numus project was launched to give more complete global coverage and allow for far greater accuracy, given the aged nature of the GPS system.[178] It has been criticised by some due to costs, and delays.