The Kingdom of Reitzmag's Assembly for the European Council has decided through a vote with the presence of all members as follows:
Question: Support the 2024 Amendment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on the Right to Marriage.
Ayes - 0
Noes - 10
Abtentions - 1
The Ayes have it. The Ayes have it.
Therefore, the Kingdom of Reitzmag votes AGAINST this act.
Dame Yuridiana Yahontov GCC
Councilor, Kingdom of Reitzmag
July 18th 2024, 6:00am
RAF Hampton
The day had finally come.
Preparations throughout the many places were events will take place during the 3-day visit have been planned and executed throughout the days leading to the occasion. Security has been heightened in both land, sea, and air with police and military personnel being deployed to critical areas. Meanwhile, supporters and fans have lined up the roads from RAF Hampton to the State Guest House where the Spanish Delegation will stay and take a rest before the events begin.
Up in the air, RAF pilots have been dispatched to monitor for any disturbances in the air. A flight of 6 Felon F.15 fighters from the No. 25 Squadron RAF were deployed to fetch the incoming VIP aircraft and escort it on its way to the air base. Back on the ground, the red carpet has been rolled out and the honour guards are making a last minute rehearsal.
30 minutes before the arrival, the honor guards from the RAF march into the apron and the press were allowed into the area to begin the coverage.
The Kingdom of Reitzmag's Assembly for the European Council has decided through a vote with the presence of all members as follows:
Question: Support the EU Personal Transport Safety Standards Act of 2024.
Ayes - 6
Noes - 3
Abtentions - 2
The Ayes have it. The Ayes have it.
Therefore, the Kingdom of Reitzmag votes FOR this act.
Dame Yuridiana Yahontov GCC
Councilor, Kingdom of Reitzmag
The Kingdom of Reitzmag's Assembly for the European Council has decided through a vote with the presence of all members as follows:
Question: Support the European Copyright System Act of 2024.
Ayes - 7
Noes - 3
Abtentions - 1
The Ayes have it. The Ayes have it.
Therefore, the Kingdom of Reitzmag votes FOR this act.
Dame Yuridiana Yahontov GCC
Councilor, Kingdom of Reitzmag
As much as this bill may be within reason, the independence and impartiality of the ENAA's decisions must be protected. This council, being a political chamber, should not dictate the process in which the ENAA comes up with decisions. I'm sure that the ENAA members are more than capable of knowing the capacity of an applicant nation to such weapons of mass destruction.
Dame Yuridiana Yahontova GCC
Councilor, Kingdom of Reitzmag
The Kingdom of Reitzmag votes as follows:
Black House, July 10 2024 | The Prime Minister has just made an official statement from his office at the Black House on the matter of the 'EU Divorce Bill' currently under scrutiny in the European Council. In the statement, the Prime Minister highlighted his support for guaranteeing a legal method of separation of persons in marriage while citing various reasons for opposing the said bill. At the end of the statement, Prime Minister Bridges declared that the country will not conform with the bill if it does pass into law and made a strong warning against the EU on attempting to conduct any intervention to force the bill on the country, citing the possibility of invoking his lawful powers to begin the process for withdrawal from the said regional organization.
Update 1: Netizens have taken to social media to voice support for the Prime Minister, with #EuropeanNotSpanishConstitution and #NotMyConstitution taking the top trending spots in Twitter Reitzmag. Meanwhile, a press conference is currently being held separately by the various opposition parties. The Reitzmic Catholic Bishops Conference, a stern opponent of divorce, as well as other major lay faithful groups have so far not issued any statement.
Update 2: Leader of the Opposition Park Geun-hye, in a statement during a press conference at the Conservative Party Headquarters, voiced her support to the Prime Minister's recent action, calling it 'victory against tyranny'. Other parties also expressed support, with some backlash from the Liberal Democrats on the threat to begin the process for withdrawal from the EU. The Reitzmic Catholic Bishops' Conference has so far refused to make any statement on the matter, telling reporters that an 'appropriate response' will be released when possible.
Update 3: Demonstrators led by the Krexit Party and National Union Party have begun to gather in front of the Black House at Government Square, calling on the Prime Minister to begin the withdrawal procedure under the Krexit Bill. Councilor Yahontov is yet to make a statement on the matter, but sources say she is currently in talks with the government and the opposition parties about the situation.
This is a developing story, updates will be posted as soon as possible
My fellow citizens, of the Kingdom of Reitzmag and of the European Union, I send greetings to you all.
It has come to the attention of the Government of the Kingdom of Reitzmag that a bill pending in the European Council was proposed on the matter of legalizing divorce as a human right across the region. The rationale behind this initiative that a legal method of separation should be enforced for the well-being of individuals in marriage is highly appreciated, and I personally commend the advocacy of the Premier Commissioner on the matter.
However, while the rationale is understandably for the greater good and the protection of all parties to a marriage, we do not support the way in which it is being presented. Our government believes that the presentation of divorce, a specific social policy, as the solution to the problem that the bill is aimed at is unacceptable and a blatant violation of national sovereignty.
In our opinion, member-states should decide on the appropriate specific national policy which satisfies the advocacy expressed by the European Union in the laws it creates. We further believe that social policies should exclusively be decided by the national legislatures, befitting the conditions of the people within the member-state concerned.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights should also not be used for any attempt at forcing specific social policies like these, but rather serve as a catalyst for the implementation of policies that protect the well-being of persons. And it is for this reason that the problem with this bill is not an issue of legalizing divorce, but rather an issue of creating precedent of using the UDoHR to force social policies upon the sovereign member-states of the EU.
As such, I'm issuing this stern warning that the Kingdom of Reitzmag has no intention of conforming if such bills enters into force as law, and will not welcome any action from the European Union on the matter. And I issue this stern warning, that I will not hesitate to invoke the powers vested in me as Prime Minister by the Exit from the European Union Act to initiate a national referendum for Reitzmag's official withdrawal from the EU if any intervention on our decision is forcibly conducted.
This decision was taken with extreme consideration of the facts and heavy consultation of experts on the matter. And we are disappointed that we have to resort to this.
Prime Minister
Parliament, July 7 2024 | The Government has been left in shock as a Labour Private Members' Bill was backed by the Opposition in a surprise attack during a second reading vote earlier today. The bill authored by the NUP MP for Newhaven Aldershot, seeking to establish solid regulations on the country's representation to the EU Council, was passed after a surprise move by whips of the Conservative Party and National Union Party. We are yet to receive a comment from the incumbent European Councilor Dame Yuridiana Yahontov, but speculation has began to circulate that she was involved in the creation of this bill. Throughout the debate that ensued, Treasury Bench MPs tried to stall and give time to their whips to recall members back to the chamber, however their efforts seem to be insufficient. The bill will now be sent to the Committee stage for a more detailed review, but the results of this recent vote may reflect the fragility of the Government's hold of a majority which may have implications on the proceedings that lie ahead.
Dear Honourable Shareholders of the EUBC,
On behalf of the Central Broadcasting Corporation, I send greetings to you all. It has come to our attention the conduct of the Supervisor of the EUBC regarding its recent decisions on proposals made by the Radio Television Duchies, most especially the proposal titled 'European Public Owned Broadcaster Content Library.'
In our observation, we believe that the Supervisor Mr. Francisco Karlikos, has been acting against the interests of the shareholders with the outright rejection of recent proposals without any consultation to the shareholders. We feel that this is a disrespect to the very existence of the EUBC, that depends on the unity of its member-broadcasters. And to this we cite the recent proposal from the Radio Television Duchies, which has been outright rejected and not given any consideration.
This comes after the fact that the Radio Television Duchies pursued with an independent initiative of their proposal despite its rejection from the EUBC Supervisor. And that, from what may be observed, this proposal has in fact attracted the interest of shareholders which have signed up to join in the independently established program.
We further believe that the EUBC should support these initiatives that capture the interest of multiple benefactors, and consider heavily the proposals like these which have a positive impact in our mission to protect the integrity of information and promote the improvement of information dissemination to a wider reach of audiences.
As such, we reach out to you all fellow shareholders to consider our call for the dismissal of the EUBC Executives and the conduct of elections to the positions that will be left vacant.
Thank you.
Best Regards,
Timothy Douglas Davie CRE,
Director-General, Central Broadcasting Corporation
Hampton City, July 6 2024 | Following the announcement from Zarzuela Palace and Buckingham Palace, preparations are being made for the upcoming state visit of the King and Queen of Spain. The full itinerary of the visiting royals have not yet been released, but security has already been heightened on key areas with greater police presence observable across Hampton City and most especially Whitehall. Decorations have also been installed in various places, with the Mall lined with the Union Flag and flag of Spain.
New Saint Regina, July 2 2024 | Various tech companies have been given a green light by the local governments of many cities in the country to begin trial deployments of their proposed smart road systems. Here in New Saint Regina, SM Technologies installed Smart Speed Bumps on 5 different streets near the University of Regina with the goal of slowing down speeding drivers with a road bump that deploys when activated by a speed sensor. In Newport City, electrified rails are being installed on designated 'EV Lanes' along a 3km segment of the Nancheong Blvd. near the Hillstate Apartments. The electrified rails are part of an EV charging system developed by technology company EnviRoads, in partnership with all major automobile manufacturers in the country. In Caspian City, the installation of more Piezoelectric Tiles by SM Technologies on walkways have been approved to more public spaces following the public tests that began 2 years ago, which have yielded satisfactory results that were well-received by the scientific community.
In addition to local developments, the Federal Government also launched a new initiative in partnership with the 10 Provincial Governments in a meeting between the Prime Minister and the First Ministers. The program dubbed the 'Road to the Future' aims to improve road navigation, traffic management, safety, and eco-friendliness by embedding state of the art technologies across all existing road networks in the country. In a joint press release after the meeting, the government outlined several projects that aim to reach the goal of having integrated smart technology to all roads in the country within the next 3-5 years. These projects include the installation of AI traffic management and detection systems, precision digital mapping of all publicly accessible roads, a national road monitoring centre, and integration of EV compatible technologies. The program also included the launch of a joint public and private sector-led development of a smart navigation system to integrate with the other technologies to be installed with the program, which aims to be able to provide accurate and up to date information on road conditions with reliable suggestions on the fastest route to the destination input based on different factors.
The Supreme Court of the Kingdom of Reitzmag votes as follows:
Hey there lads!
It's been a while and I've been tinkering with real life economics systems to make our RP experience more realistic, while also maintaining simplification where possible. As such, I present to all of you the first BETA version of the EU Economics System v2.
Now what's new you may ask?
As of the moment, we've scrapped the entire system in favour of one that is easier to compute, less reliant on NationStates random numbers, more flexible to players, and takes into account RP situations.
Let me explain how the new system works.
The new system only relies on 2 data from NS, the population and average income. The population data is still computed the same way as before, but we're figuring out a new way of computing this to counteract the bias in population growth for smaller countries. The average income is still 1/6th of what is in NS, but now it is immediately treated as a value expressed in Euros instead of the former treating the computed value as Local Currency Unit.
This new system focuses on computing a GDP expressed in Euros. To help you better understand the system, here's a sheet for you to try experimenting values with.
This sheet will be important, as my proposal involves nations having to utilize a sheet of their own to make projections, with official data released by the ECB every 3 months from reports made by countries using their individual sheets.
From here, you can read either the longer explanation on computations, or the shorter and simpler version at the bottom.
First, let's go over to how the GDP is calculated.
In real life, the GDP has multiple ways of being determined, but we'll focus on the expenditure approach. This utilizes the following formula:
GDP = Personal Consumption + Business Investment + Government Consumption + Net Trade
Personal Consumption
Personal Consumption, which is also expressed as Household Final Consumption Expenditure (HFCE), is the amount spent by every individual on goods and services to meet their everyday needs. This is computed by multiplying Average Consumption with the population.
Business Investment
Business Investment, which is also expressed as Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF), is the value of domestic investments made by private individuals in the country. We've simplified this by taking the average value invested by an individual on local businesses and multiplying it by the population.
Government Consumption
Government Consumption, which is also expressed as Government Final Consumption Expenditure (GFCE), is the amount spent by the government on goods and services, excluding payments to manpower and bond holders. This is computed as a percentage of the Government Budget, which can be adjusted by setting a percentage of the Budget under the value Budget Consumption %.
Net Trade
Net Trade, also known as Net Exports, is the value of international trade volume involving that country. It is computed by subtracting the Total Value of Imports from the Total Value of Exports.
Now that we've established some terms, let's go over the values needed to compute these parts of the GDP.
Average Consumption
HFCE requires the Average Consumption (basically HFCE per capita), which is determined as a percentage of the Average Income spent by individuals on goods and services they need to live. This is like the average cost of living before taxes. You can adjust this by setting a certain percentage of the Average Income under the value Average Income Exp. % with the sheets. You may look at the Sample RL Values Sheet on Row 11 for references on real life examples. However, it is much more recommended to look at the value of HFCE while setting the Average Income Exp. % and compare it with RL values on Row 8, or on https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.CON.PRVT.CD?most_recent_value_desc=true&view=map. to see if you have a reasonable and realistic amount.
Average Investment
GFCF requires the Average Investment (basically GFCF per capita), which is determined as a percentage of Average Income invested by individuals on local enterprises. This does not automatically mean that everyone invests in businesses, but rather shows how much of the average income is invested by each person theoretically that equates to the value of private investments in the country when combined. This can be adjusted by setting a certain percentage of the Average Income under the value Investment per capita %. For a realistic value, you can also compare your % with values on Row 36 in the Sample RL Values sheet.
Government Budget
Government Budget is used in determining the GFCE, and is determined by multiplying the government revenue per capita with the population. The government revenue per capita shows how much the government earns from individuals on average, which may be in the form of taxes or other sources of capital. The government revenue per capita can be adjusted by setting a percentage of Average Income under the value Government Spending %. For a realistic value, refer to Row 24 of the Sample RL Values sheet when coming up with a value for Government Spending %, and Row 25 of the Sample RL Values sheet when coming up with a value for Budget Consumption %.
Trade System
The trade system sounds complicated at first, but it's actually pretty simple when you get the grasp of it.
Players will be able to set a maximum value of Imports that enter their country, which may not exceed 10 trillion Euros or 75% of the Gross National Income (computed as Average Income x Population). Whichever limit has a lower value will apply
Other countries will then negotiate with that player to get a share of the Import Value, in exchange for shares on Export Value, Defence Pacts, or other bargaining chips. Shares of the Import Value correspond to a part on Export Value of the Import shareholder.
The maximum Value of Exports a country may have shall not result in a Trade Surplus or Deficit of more than 1 trillion Euros.
AVERAGE CONSUMPTION
Average Consumption = Average Income Exp. % * Average Income
Average Income Exp. % is the adjustable value, expressed as percentage of Average Income.. Mean Average Consumption in EU countries value at around € 18,174.45 in 2022.
GOVERNMENT REVENUE PER CAPITA
Government Revenue PC = Government Spending % * Average Income
Government Spending % is the adjustable value, expressed as percentage of Average Income.. Average Government Spending % in EU countries are around 24.94% in 2022.
AVERAGE INVESTMENT
Average Investment = Investment per capita % * Average Income
Investment per capita % is the adjustable value, expressed as percentage of Average Income. Average Investment per capita % in EU countries are around 20.95% in 2022.
HOUSEHOLD FIXTURES CAPITAL EXPENDITURE (HFCE)
HFCE = Average Consumption * Population
HFCE in EU countries range from € 25,967,000,000.00 to € 2,722,786,000,000.00 in 2022, with larger and more developed countries having higher values. Refer to https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.CON.PRVT.CD?locations=EU&most_recent_value_desc=true for more real life EU values.
GOVERNMENT FIXTURES CAPITAL EXPENDITURE (GFCE)
GFCE = (Government Revenue per capita * Population) * Budget Consumption %
Budget Consumption % is the adjustable value, expressed as percentage of Government Budget. Government Consumption in EU countries are around 79.85% of their Government Budget. GFCF in EU countries range from € 4,578,559,220.00 to € 901,613,925,680.00 in 2022, with larger and more developed countries having higher values. Refer to https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.GDI.FTOT.CD?locations=EU&most_recent_value_desc=true for more real life EU values.
GROSS FIXED CAPITAL FORMATION (GFCF)
GFCF = Average Investment * Population
GFCF in EU countries range from € 4,578,559,220.00 to € 901,613,925,680.00 in 2022, with larger and more developed countries having higher values. Refer to https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.GDI.FTOT.CD?locations=EU&most_recent_value_desc=true for more real life EU values.
NET TRADE
Net Trade = Total Export Value - Total Import Value
Total Import Value is the adjustable value, set from a % of Gross National Income (Average Income multiplied by population). Maximum Value is 10 trillion Euros or 75% of GNI (whichever limit is lower).
Total Export is based on the total value of imports that other countries accept from you. You have to negotiate with other countries for shares of their Total Import Value to increase your Total Export Value. The limit on your Total Export Value depends on the net trade, which cannot have a deficit or surplus value exceeding 1 trillion Euros. It is recommended to reach out to admins or other players for assistance on this, as this is the trickiest part of the system.
GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP)
GDP = HFCE + GFCE + GFCF + Net Trade
Nation Name: Kingdom of Reitzmag
Applicant's name and applicant's authority to apply on behalf of their nation: Ben Wallace, Minister of the Crown for Defence
Nation's IC Count : 161,117
Does your nation meet minimum requirements for nuclear weapon production? : Yes
Reasons for applying: Upon considering the opinions of experts and the Armed Forces, and the sentiments of the people through Parliament in terms of improving national security, the Ministry of Defence has found it imperative that maintaining a strong deterrent in the wake of an increase in number of nuclear powers would be necessary in protecting peace and security within the region in the long term. Because this decision is contrary to the country's traditional policy of opposition to weapons of mass destruction, it shall be on record that the decision was made with strict consideration of various factors and a strong rationale.
Reasons for approval: The Kingdom of Reitzmag has maintained its position of improving and exemplifying its standing in both military and diplomatic areas, fostering ways for cooperation while promoting its interest with cautious responses to various global and regional situations. While the country disagrees with the previous opinion of the ENAA that its policies are a product of paranoia or romanticism of conflict, it has strongly maintained implementation of those including the conscription system which has been found to have achieved many of its goals such as the reduction of crime rates and unhealthy living. In addition, the country has consistently adhered to its newly adopted defence doctrines and rules of engagement tailor-made in conjunction with its allies to consider the status quo and possible future geopolitical situations. Finally, the continued presence of external threats has made it consider various responses with extreme caution, dismissing any provocation it has deemed to have no logically real implication to the country while maintaining vigilance for any sudden change in those situations.
Surrey Space Center, November 19 2023 | The KRSA's Probe mars rocket has successfully reached space in its 2nd Integrated Flight Test. The launch was streamed live in various platforms, where various improvements and changes to the craft and the launch structures were observable. A successful hot-stage separation was conducted and all engines were able to operate properly throughout the flight, but with the first stage being detonated a few moments after the separation. A slight communication issue moments after the second stage reached space also prompted speculations that the mission was unsuccessful, but were eventually dismissed once contact was reestablished. A post-mission report showed that failures were mostly observed following the stage separation, but the mission was declared successful by the flight directors. In a subsequent press conference, it was also announced that the rocket will be given a new more name before its' next launch, which would be 'more appropriate to its power'. Because of this mission, the rocket now boasts as the most powerful spacecraft to ever reach space.
Strathe Solar Park, November 19 2023 | Experts from various institutions around Europe have warned of the possible implications of a 'Solar Superstorm' to worldwide communication systems. Renowned former CSS Astronaut and Astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson called on the government and private sector to prepare for major disruptions of up to 6 months to the internet and other communication systems due to the sun's activity. A Solar Superstorm or Geomagnetic Storm is a natural phenomenon characterised by disruptions to the Earth's magnetic field caused by a solar wind shock wave. On September 1859, the largest known event of this kind was observed and recorded by astronomers Richard Carrington and Richard Hodgson. The event, now known as the Carrington Event, caused widespread failures in telegraph systems and in some areas caused a sudden spike in electric currents causing operators to be electrocuted. Scientists however cannot provide a definitive date for the event's occurrence, but urged everyone to prepare.
Newhaven GCHQ, November 15 2023 | The Government in a recent announcement has affirmed its commitment to the nation's cybersecurity efforts following multiple reports of phishing and hacking over the past 2 months. This came as a sudden increase in cyberattacks from domestic and foreign sources have jolted users across the country, with reported attempts of attacking state cyberinfrastructure being thwarted by operatives working for the GCHQ. In a separate statement, the Department for Information and Communication announced that it will be holding a nation-wide campaign for awareness against the malicious intents of cybercriminals and their methodologies. Part of the campaign includes a week-long series of seminars held in partnership with the Ministry of Education on ways to improve security while browsing the internet, as well as how to counter identity theft and verify if an app or service is safe to use.
In a press conference for the launch of a new recruitment program for the Ministry of Defence, Minister Ben Wallace announced that the National Cybersecurity Center under the GCHQ would be holding coding bootcamps and other training programs to "bring out natural talents in Reitzmics that may help keep the nation safe". Minister Wallace also said that the Ministry of Defense, through the Directorate of Military Intelligence, will collaborate with the Federal Constabulary to increase efforts at arresting cybercriminals and take down scam hubs across the country using intelligence gathered by local reports and assistance provided by other countries' law enforcement units.
Statistics from the latest police report on it's anti-cybercrime activities show a reduction of at least 60% in reports of scam calls and texts as well as the blocking of more than 700 malicious sites over the past 3 years. In parliament, more than 23 measures have been passed seeking to help crack down on new and evolving types of cybercrime and increasing the budget allocation for intelligence and public order across various agencies concerned. These measures are expected to enable the government to have more flexibility in its actions for the country's security in the cyberspace.