1st Annual Nordic Council

[Skånskige Statsunionen]

Stadslott
Nystrå, Nystrå Provins
Skånskige Statsunionen

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It was a relatively clear day on the lakeside city of Nystrå, the second largest city in Scania and sometimes referred to as the 'City of Glass' due to its nearly entire glass architecture. The city was destroyed in the Great War due to carpet bombings and the city government decided to build a new city of modernity out of the ashes. The Royal Palace for the region, the Stadslott was a gleeming example of this. Finished in the 1990s, the Stadslott was a new milestone of Royal Transparency, or whatever they called it.

Today was going to be another milestone for the city. It would host the first annual Nordic Council. An initiative of the Executive Chancellor to better tie the three Scandinanvian countries together in a tighter framework. King Carl-Erik II also knew it was an attempt from Executive Chancellor Clark-Mallström to get them more firmly in the AGE camp, maybe even to convince Arendaal to join.

The Royal Page announced that the Executive Chancellor had arrived and that the helicopters carrying the delegations from Arendaal and Fjäderholmarna had entered Scanian air space.

King Carl-Erik walked casually out to the front gardens of the Palace. The Royal Honour Guard sparkled in their gold and silver breastplates and their red and gold uniforms. The flags of the three Scandinavian countries fluttered in the wind and a crowd and assembled on the other side of the canal that separated the front gardens from the pedestrian accessable path on the other side.

Carl-Erik noticed that Mrs. Clark-Mallström had finally made her way to the gardens with her large entourage. They were preparing the final details. Ensuring the band knew all the notes and the children's choir could sing the other national hymnes. The image people, we ensuring that all the faces of the young men in the honour guard were properly powdered and all blemishes were covered up. Everything had to be perfect with Mrs. Clark-Mallström, image was the supreme. Carl-Erik laughed to himself, that is how she went from being just a lowly Anglophone back bencher to Head of Government in just five years. Hard work and a ruthless eye to detail.

Carl-Erik returned to his private changing room and had his two assistants get him into his ceremonial dress. It was deeply uncomfortable, especially for a man of nearly eighty years. After a few minutes, he was in his uniform and then the complicated process of getting all the medals and sashes in other began.

The Palace Page announced that the delegations would be arriving in thirty minutes. Carl-Erik was finally primped and ready and made his way out onto the gardens before the adorning crowd which cheered when he entered the gardens and took his stand next to the Executive Chancellor at the end of the red carpet. Waiting for the Aren's and the Fjäderholmarna's to arrive.

 

[Skånskige Statsunionen]

OOC: *cough*
Also, Batavia. You are invited.

 

[Saxe-Friesken and Polaben]

Skåne was always considered a rival. Naturally it had always been this way since the emigration of the Ågarder tribes and their long lasting feud that led to wars of both empire and trade. When the Skånsk took control, things did begin to change though. The rivalry never went away, but the mindless hatred did. Wars never did stop or change until the 19th Century, after all, Fjäderholmarna had not been to war since 1811. Today marked the first Nordic Council and it featured Arendaal, Skåne and Fjäderholmarna of course. Also invited was a Batavian delegation, which Fjäderholmarna rather opposed. The Batavians clearly didn't share the same culture nor cultural standards. The communist revolution there clearly showed it.

While the inclusion of the Batavians wasn't entirely surprising, what was odd, was the fact that the Lislensk Prime Minister, Magnús Thors accompanied the Nordsk Prime Minister Malin Enström. Another oddity was the usage of Nordsk, something Fjäderholmarna had been pushing the past two or three years in reference to nationals. The goal was to end usage of Fjäderholmarnsk which was seen as large and cumbersome. Originally the campaign started on a small tourist bureau promotion, "Where Nordic is", but now it was being used in introduction of the Prime Minister. No one was sure how the other delegations would treat the small change, but there wasn't much they could do aside from lodge small formal complaints. With the rivalries that had been seen between this region in the past though, nobody put it past any of the other states to lodge some kind of complaint.

Another formal dignitary to come along with the two Prime Ministers, was the Queen. Drottning Karolin I, who had succeeded her father four years ago was much more active than her father. She traveled whenever she could and took her responsibility in the Riksdag seriously which was seen as quite a major change. The group of three had just arrived and it had seemed that the Skånsk had put together quite the show.

 

[Batavië]

Travelling in via The Griffin, the KLM livery painted 747 jumbo jet, Arjan van Vliet and his large delegation of aides and interpreters exited the aeroplane and were whisked off to the venue. Being the Kommissaris voor Buitenlandse Zaken for well over 7 years, van Vliet was skilled with every aspect regarding diplomacy, especially dealing with the other Scandinavian countries in the region. Fluent in the dialect used most often in Skånskige and progressing quickly in lessons of Nordsk, van Vliet was also fluent in French and German, the two typical languages of diplomacy in the West. Topped off with his mother tongue of Vlaams, or Dutch as the Anglophones called it, he felt confident travelling most of the time. To be sure, however, he brought along quite a few interpreters.

A simple news article had gotten a quick invitation sent to Vlaanderen and hastily accepting the invitation, van Vliet organised a large delegation. Regardless of differing government styles and values, Supreme Leader de Graaf and the Politburo felt it imperative for Batavië to be 'in' on any local and regional developments. To get in the way was not their goal, on the contrary, they wanted these talks to be fruitful and successful. Most importantly, it sent a clear message to the three other Scandinavian countries that Batavië was not to be ignored. No, surely with the largest military on the subcontinent Batavië simply could not be ignored. The economic weight was minimal at best thanks to communism, but political power was certainly there.

'Do you plan to unveil the proposed special zones, Meneer?' asked an aide.

'Not sure, to be honest. Not with all of the events going on back home. It would be the perfect place with all of these potential investors. We know they are itching to get a hand on our labour and resources. But things are a bit prickly at the moment. Have you heard the latest from the SV reports?'

The aide closed his portfolio and nodded as the caravan came to halt in front of the glass building.

'Yes, I did. It seems as though they've found something pretty big out by the Great Peninsula.'

'Yeah, a whole fucking base of operations. They're sending in ground troops this weekend. But that's top secret.' Van Vliet gave the aide a quick glance, silently telling him not to utter a syllable about that to anyone else. He adjusted his tie, put on his greeting smile and got out of the car.

 

[Skånskige Statsunionen]

Stadslott
Nystrå, Nystrå Provins
Skånskige Statsunionen

Executive Chancellor Clark-Mallström was not pleased that the Batavians had come, however she knew that if she didn't swallow her pride and invite them it would lead to a massive diplomatic row between the two and with the upcoming AGE Summit, she could not afford to have her position undercut in any way. And so, she had ordered the Chancellor for External and AGE Affairs at the last minute to invite them. Obviously, the other two Scandinavian nations were not impressed but they also understood the necessity of the move.

The helicopter carrying the Nordsk delegation landed on the green lawn of the front of the Palace. Last minute cables had agreed to call them by their preferred name of Nordsk, even though neither the King nor the Executive Chancellor wanted to.

Meanwhile, across the channel, thousands of people waved Nordsk and Skånske flags as the honour band played the national anthem of arriving delegation. King Carl-Erik II went to the helicopter with the Executive Chancellor to welcome the delegation as they stepped down.

''Welcome to Skånskige Statsunionen, I hope the flight was well.'' said the King as he shook the hands of the delegation including a warm embrace for the young Queen. The Executive Chancellor was far more formal giving a hard handshake and a bow before the young Queen. After, they were escorted into the glass palace.


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After greeting the Nordsk delegation, the motorcade of the Batavians pulled up. The crowd on the other side was mostly silent except for some hard-left groups who had shown up to cheer them on. Notably, the Batavian flag was missing from the poles on the lawn displaying the three Scandinavian flags. It was a clear sign while they were invited to come, it was only a courtesy and that neither of the other Nordic Council members were impressed with them being there.

The doors of the motorcade swung open and the delegation stepped out. The King and the Executive Chancellor greeted the delegation including Arjan van Vliet with a firm handshake and welcomed them to the Skånskige Statsunionen in Dutch and had one of the palace pages escort them into the glass palace.

 

[Batavië]

Van Vliet shook Mallström's hand and smiled for the cameras. He leaned in quickly and said quietly, 'I trust that my country's flag will be displayed by the time of the press conference. I'm sure it was an honest mistake.' he released his grip and walked inside waiving to the mostly subdued crowd. His delegation came in right after him, ready to listen.

 

[Arendaal]

The Aren delegation was the last to arrive at the conference, not so much because so many of the Aren subscribed to the notion of fashionable lateness, but because talks with the Belmontien delegation in Emyn Arnen* had only just finished. King Edvard V of Arendaal looked over the Palace as the helicopter carrying the bulk of the Aren delegation prepared to land. The King, Prime Minister Svea Bjornsen, and assorted ministers poured out as their national anthem, “Ode to Joy”, was being played by the band of honour.

Edvard V greeted King Carl-Erik II especially warmly. He approved of his counter part, despite the fact that Aren Royals usually tended to snobbery with regards to royal heritage. Edvard, however, was a pragmatist and certainly no bigot. He held that a clever king, after all, was far preferable to a high born dolt. If Arendaal had ever had a series of inept monarchs, rather than the occasional fool amidst a string of adept politicians, the Aren would probably have taken to elect their Monarchs too.

The Aren delegates promptly followed their King into the Palace, eager for the commencement of the summit.

 

[Skånskige Statsunionen]

Stadslott
Nystrå, Nystrå Provins
Skånskige Statsunionen

The arrival of the Aren delegation was the highlight for the crowd. With the thousands of people who had lined up to see the who's who of the Nordic States going wild when the King of Arendaal stepped off the plane. Arendaal still remained Scania's number one ally and friend and that reflected in the enthusiasm of the crowd. The King warmly welcomed his counterpart and colleague from Arendaal and the Executive Chancellor gave the King a full salute. They passed pleasentries and walked together into the Grand Hall of the Palace where a large reception had begun. With Scanian Akvavit was being served along with the traditional Belmontien champagne and Salmon Smörgås and other Scanian culinary delights. The Royal Scanian Orchestra with the Royal Scanian Child's Choir were performing the festive songs appropriate to this time of year.

The Opening Plenary was scheduled for just after two in the afternoon and given that it was only just after twelve thirty now, it gave the delegations a chance to mingle and discuss coordination and issues before the first big meeting.

The King decided he would retire to his private study and leave the Executive Chancellor to do what she does best.

The Executive Chancellor walked up to the Batavian delegation and shook hands and said a few words about a Nordic Oil Community. An idea she wad floating around.

She listened to him then said her departs and went to her Aren counterpart and discussed issues of passports and a Nordic Passport Union.

She then went to the Nordsk King and his Prime Ministers and ran by the issues of Oil and Passport Unions.

 

[Batavië]

Van Vliet, sipping his excellent Belmonti champagne, nodded excitedly when the Executive Chancellor mentioned the Nordic Oil Community. He mingled with whatever crowd seemed to be discussing the most. A passport union, hmmm. It would never fly past the Politburo, which was unfortunate. Van Vliet himself being more democratic than the other six Politburo members, was known to b flexible. Heck, he could care less if Vlaanderen became a new democracy. He would adapt and maintain an important position.

Placing his empty champagne glass in a passing tray, he listened more and thought of ways to make the Batavian presence here useful. Yes, he had his card up his sleeve that would surely blow the other guests away. He was about to make a major change in Batavian regional foreign policy and they would lap it all up with smiles.

 

[Saxe-Friesken and Polaben]

Prime Minister Malin Enström listened to the proposals at hand. What seemed to be the only thing at the table thus far was the notion of a passports union and an Oil Governing Body that surely needed to be elaborated on. Miss Enström had only nodded when Exec-Chancellor Clark-Mallström had ran the ideas past her and the Queen. To be honest, Prime Minister Thors really had no input. His sole purpose was to get the approval of the nations to have autonomous territories representation to some degree. Queen Karolin had approved of such a notion, and it was likely that it would be suggested towards the end of the meeting.

As Miss Clark-Mallström walked away to speak with other delegations, it would probably seem as though Fjäderholmarna was least likely to cooperate. It was more that the Nordsk delegation preferred not to show their cards at the beginning of a poker game. Enström and Drottning Karolin conferred for a short moment while other delegations got to know each other. Prime Minister Thors got to make the beginning rounds and getting to know people. It was an advantage of having him there.

For the most part introductions weren't needed for the leaders of Fjäderholmarna anyway. Everyone knew who they were and generally Fjäderholmarna's own self-absorbed and snooty behavior in the Scandinavian world gave them a reputation over the years. This reputation wasn't necessarily good, but no one could deny, they were an important player. Fjäderholmarna represented the biggest market in Scandinavia and the most powerful economy when measured by itself. This was mostly due to demographics though, as the nations all represented sound economies and all had key companies with business relations across Europe. This was also reasoning behind the Kunglig Nordiska Handelsföretag, where Arendaal and Scania teamed together to form a larger more important economy than Fjäderholmarna. Something that was done with great success, and forced a decline in Fjäderholmarna and Franken's economic domination of the region. So much in fact that in 1626, the Nordisk Østeuropeiska Kompagni (NØK) was formed to compete with a the new global trading regimen formed by the KNH. (Another part of contention with the usage of Nordsk, as many nationals felt that instead of butchering language with Nordsk, the word Nordisk should be used appropriately. This was felt to be unaccepted by neighbors though... and something to be placed upon the agenda of the Queen to get straightened out at this conference. (Naming conventions - Usages of Scandinavia, Nordic, Scanian, etc.)) Of course this economic rivalry continued into the Great War. Today, the general cooperation of the Scandinavian economies created a large bloc and important consumer market, something that the Queen and Prime Minister Enström wanted to advance.

Cordial handshakes and the like were presented by Prime Minister Thors who got to represent his territory and the Kingdom for a short time. Nobody really knew who Thors was, and it would likely stay that way. Thors was Prime Minister of Lisland, the autonomous territory just north of the American Union. Lisland was considered the sister territory with Goíegr, and unfortunately for him, Goíegr was the dominating island group. Lisland just didn't have the population to keep up with the earning power of Goíegr. He was surprised he was even selected to represent the interests of the sister territories and he hoped to make the most of it.

 

[Batavië]

OOC: LPR, I believe cocktail hour is now out of booze...

 

[Arendaal]

Svea Bjornsen listened with interest to the proposals for a Nordic Passport Union and a Nordic Oil Community. Inidividually, the oil reserves of the Scandinavian states were large, but together they would be among the most significant in Europe. Joining forces with some sort of governing body would only amplify the region's importance to Europe at large, and as such were welcomed by Arendaal.

The Passport Union was perhaps even more of a given. Svea had long felt that since the populace's of Arendaal, Scania and Fjäderholmarna were essentially on par in terms of civil liberties and economic status, passport controls were an unnecessary hindrance to the free flow of people and trade in Scandinavia. A passport Union was an ideal solution in the eyes of her government. Bjornsen said as much to the Scanian Executive Chancellor as the two spoke affably.

 

[Skånskige Statsunionen]

OOC: Promise there will be a post today. Trying to get my thoughts in order.

 

[Éireann]

As the invitation to attend the Nordic Council was late in coming, the delegation from the Kingdom of Éireann was late in arriving. Though both His Majesty and the Prime Minister would have liked to have been present, important matters at home made it impossible, so the responsibility to represent the Kingdom fell to Foreign Minister Angus O'Donell and Trade Minister Sean O'Halloran. Arriving after the opening ceremonies, the Éirean delegation made their apologies for their tardiness and sat down at their assigned seating.

 

[Batavië]

OOC: promise was broken.

 

[Batavië]

OOC: :roll:

 

[Saxe-Friesken and Polaben]

OOC {
Not much we can do until Scania comes back from his hiatus.
}