Xäiville Convention

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The Xäiville Convention (sometimes abbreviated to XC) is a treaty signed in November 2020 that formalises free-movement of people, goods, and services, between Aemilia, Craitland, the Dark Berry Islands, Hurmu (Order of the Holy Lakes), Meckelnburgh, Mercury, Sanama, Senya, the South Sea Islands and Tellia.

Craitland, Mercury, Senya, and Tellia were the original signatories. Hurmu became the fifth signatory on 16 November 2020, after their application was ratified by the existing Convention signatories. The South Sea Islands has since applied, sponsored by Hurmu, and acceded 1 April 2021, followed by Sankt Ludwigshafen, who were sponsored by Craitland, joining on 17 December 2021 and Cisamarra, who were sponsored by Hurmu, on 4 May 2022. Sankt Ludwigshafen left the convention following the arrests of Ludwiggian students who enjoyed the right to free travel in Hurmu, citing an alleged breach of the Convention, however no official complaint was made.

History

The Xäiville Convention came about by a desire by the founding signatories to forge both closer relations and to formalise their visa free travel arrangements. Craitland, Mercury, Senya and Tellia all shared similar qualities, in being advanced highly developed democracies that are noted (with the exception of perhaps Tellia) for their peaceful and stable histories and for largely abstaining from involvement in Micras' various conflicts. Due to the influence and expansion of the mega-multilateral military alliances of the Raspur Pact and the USSO, these four nations were eager to solidify a democratic and non-aligned alliance which would allow for open and free trade, mirroring such free-trade agreements in other such unions. Despite their locations across Micras being significantly distant from one another, the union was successful.

Hurmu joined the convention eight months after its foundation, having formed out of a merger between the Hurmu Trust Territory and the Craitish territory of Lakkvia earlier that year. Hurmu's entry brought a rapid expanding economy into the union, and its geography, as a halfway point between Senya and Mercury, helped establish further trade routes, which continued in 1695 with Hurmu and Senya's participation in the re-booted Apollonian Express project. In 1702, the two nations established a sea freighter and passanger ferry service between the cities of Port Nelson and Tyrador, and Craitland was also connected to this with plans to connect the Victorian capital of Riego with the network via a line from the Senyan capital Svorgas, along with a freighter service that would run via Hawshire and Arboria.

In 1695, the convention saw the accession of the South Sea Islands, a small island country in the Southern Seas, who sough both protection through association and trading opportunities for their small island nation. In 1703, they were joined in the convention by Sankt Ludwigshafen, who had recently annexed parts of the former Craitish territory of Zandarijn, and who also had previous friendly relations with Senya and were eager to improve their standing with the rest of the international community.

In contrast to the Raspur Pact and the USSO, the Xäiville Convention is not a military or defence union, with state parties instead encouraged to maintain a peaceful rapport with the rest of Micras. This has allowed its state parties to trade with both pacts without being controlled by either, and has cemented the convention's outstanding reputation in the international community.

In 1708, Cisamarra joined the organisation, having already established friendly relations with neighbouring Tellia, and seeking to move away from the Sanaman sphere of influence.

The Lanzerwaldian-Whaler War, fought between an XC state party, Lanzerwald, and a Raspur Pact member, Western Natopia, did not occasion any appreciable damage to relations between the two blocs.

The mid-1710s saw a reduction in the number of state parties for the bloc. Firstly, Sankt Ludwigshafen withdrew from the Convention in 1716 citing differences in economic outlook, before Cisamarra withdrew the following year, after unifying with Sanama. Oportia acceded to the Convention in 1719, remaining a signatory for just shy of a decade. Oportia's acceptance came after an intense scrutiny by other state parties following the withdrawal of Sankt Ludwigshafen and Cisamarra in the years prior.

Following on from Oportia's acceptance the previous year, 1720 saw the Dark Berry Islands and Sanama join the organisation. Sanama's acceptance into the organisation came just three years after Cismarra's withdrawal due to it becoming a territory of Sanama. Sanama overtook Hurmu as the organisation's largest population centre, with almost 120 million people joining the convention overnight. The entry of Sanama's large economy into an already successful economic bloc saw questions about the convention's long term stability, which had been questioned the previous decade, overturned, and Sanama was followed into the bloc by Meckelnburgh in 1724 and Aemilia in 1728.

In VII.1729, Mercury briefly suspended its membership of the Convention in response to Hurmu's annexation of Phineonesia to form the Order of the Holy Lakes, with Phineonesia's anti-LGBT legislation being the catalyst for the move. After three days, President Caroline Griffiths ended the suspension following the adoption of new legislation in the territory.

Conditions

The Treaty sets out the following conditions that signatories agree to adhere to:

• Unlimited visa-free travel between signatory nations
• Protection against prohibited or restricted persons from entering a signatory nation
• Conditions for new signatory nations to be admitted
• Conditions of neutrality, signatories are not required to enter conflicts on other signatories' behalf
• Free movement of workers, products and services with the following exceptions:
  • agricultural products and foods
  • livestock, other animals, plants and seeds (to allow nations to protect their own fragile ecosystems)
  • medicines
  • weapons, ammunition, explosives
  • services or positions that are restricted to citizens or companies registered in the country for national security reasons

Every-day work

There is a secretariat in Xäiville which deals with the day-to-day affairs of the Convention. Ambassadors from the state parties are accredited and resided here. There are also annual summits, hosted once a year (usually), by various state parties in a rotating order.

Admission of new Signatory States

States may be invited to accede to the Convention by a decision of unanimous consent of the existing state parties. Applicants should have good reputation, be at peace, and have good relations with most countries. During the application stage, applicant countries are usually sponsored by an existing state party. All existing members must vote in favour of a new nation joining the bloc, and each existing member retains a veto in votes on admitting new member states.

Termination of Effect

There is no formal process in place for a state party to terminate its commitments under the Convention. State parties that no longer wish to be bound by the Convention may simply renounce their signature, however, may be again required to gain sponsorship from another state party should they subsequently wish to accede once again.

State Parties

State Party	Accession	Population	% of Pop
Aemilia	1728	12,734,021	4.30%
Craitland	1690	22,000,000	7.43%
Dark Berry Islands	1720	250,000	0.08%
Hurmu	1690	75,000,000	25.31%
Meckelnburgh	1724	6,608,456	2.23%
Mercury	1690	13,836,254	4.67%
Sanama	1720	119,125,822	40.21%
Senya	1690	41,712,822	14.08%
South Sea Islands	1695	11,813	<0.01%
Tellia	1690	5,000,000	1.69%
Xäiville Convention		296,279,188	100%

Applications for Accession

Name	Status	Notes
International Mandate	Withdrawn	Sponsored by Senya, seen as hostile by Calbion and therefore withdrawn.
Nova England	Withdrawn	Sponsorship by Mercury withdrawn.

Former State Parties

Name	Accession	Accession (AN)	Termination	Termination (AN)	Notes
Cisamarra	4 May 2022	19.II.1708	19 February 2023	24.V.1717	Became a Sanaman protectorate
Oportia	30 April 2023	18.XV.1719	14 February 2024	13.VII.1729	1729 referendum confirmed Oportian departure
Sankt Ludwigshafen	17 December 2021	23.IX.1703	30 January 2023	21.XV.1716	Repudiated the Convention unilaterally

Sanctions

On Floria

On 20.X.1706, the Xäiville Convention introduced sanctions against Floria, due to its war of aggression on Port Balaine, which amounted to:

• Import ban on Florian products
• Copyright on Florian products already in the XC is lifted (making piracy legal)
• No broadcasting of Florian football games, no audience for Florian games taking place in XC countries

The signatories also agreed to organize a football tournament with proceeds going to the victims of the war, however, this never took place.

Removal of sanctions

The end of sanctions against Floria, partially or entirely, were proposed on multiple occasions. However, the sanctions were agreed to be kept following the extensive use of chemical weapons in the Florian invasion of Ostland in 1719 and 1720. The continuing hostility of the Xäiville Convention towards Floria accordingly found its way onto the agenda for the Mehrshahr Conference of 13.IX–24.IX.1721 AN, where the possibility of reciprocal sanctions was raised. Consequently, on 11.X.1721 AN, the Senate of the Lakes, unanimously adopted a resolution which read:

"That Hurmu unilaterally ends every and all sanctions against Floria, as implemented by the decision of the Xäiville Convention on 20.X.1706"

The foreign ministry of Sanama also issued a statement saying that while it had sanctioned Floria earlier, prior to becoming a signatory of the Xäiville Convention, as of 1721, all sanctions had been removed. On 17.X.1721, Mercury announced a widespread lifting of restrictions, with the import ban being replaced by a tariff of 33.3% on Florian goods, which the government claims is to limit the market shock from the sudden re-introduction of these products. On 18.X.1721, Senya renounced all sanctions against Floria.

Currently, Craitland, the South Sea Islands and Tellia have not announced any removal of sanctions. Oportia have indicated an intention to maintain sanctions following Floria's use of chemical weapons in the Florian invasion of Ostland, which caused mass protests in that country. After federal government change, Oportia has ended the sanctions in I.1722. The Dark Berry Islands had never imposed sanctions on Floria, having not been signatories to the Convention at the time.