[Sweden]: Scandinavia Summit

[Odinson]

"Yes, and that there is VISA-free travel between people who are in Scandinavia. I don't think my government would support the ability for our citizens to be able to freely work and live in all of our countries, but the freedom to travel would be a very good first step. Standardizing our VISA application process would of course be a necessary first step. Perhaps we could require foreign nationals to self-report if they cross one of our borders to another country, and that they must state they intend to do so on their initial VISA," she said.

"Also, once the Danes have ratified the Nordic Concordant, I've been informed that the government has chosen a member of the Norwegian High Command to serve as the first Supreme Nordic Commander."
@Connor
@JamieA

 

[Connor]

"Sweden is very eager for a freedom of movement agreement between the Nordic states and certainly a uniform visa system among the three of us would make the management of such much easier. I believe the Swedish representative within the Committee of Nordic Administrative Affairs has began writing up such an arrangement, I should have this available to present imminently."

"It is fundamentally important that the Danish sign this agreement as soon as they physically can. This will allow Sweden to begin integrating anti-air capabilities within the entirety of the region rather than just domestically. On this subject, the Kingdom of Sweden would like to fund the radar-capability of the Nordic Air Defence Network in its entirety, we have done a substantial amount of research into this and would only require six AN/FPS-77 radars to cover Denmark, Sweden and Norway - we do have the view to extend this capability into overseas territory in the near future however."

Jessica coughs into a closed fist before glancing over to the Danish.

"I would require you to sell the Kingdom of Sweden seventeen AN/FPS-77 radars - this will enable us to use six in the fist stage of securing our mainland and a further eleven enabling us to secure Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Bear Island, Svalbard and Jan Mayen. I can make the payment immediately if you tell me the final cost."

She then glances at both representatives - "These radars will remain Swedish, unless you wish to pay a third of the cost, and as such I will need you both to ask your governments to permit the deployment of these radars in your territory. I must stress that we will provide the radars however operation will need to be done by your own trained personnel... they should require no more than three servicemen per radar."

@JamieA
@Odinson

 

[JamieA]

"The agreement has been signed by myself and has been sent to the Prime Ministers office for the government to put into law. Denmark already operates numerous radars across the Danish territory so there will be no need for some to be in Denmark however we will be willing to sell you these, I shall contact the Defence Ministry for prices"

 

[Connor]

"Oh excellent!"

"I have been informed by my aide that the preliminary network has served the region well in defence from Russia forces recently, so this is certainly worth the investment. Whilst the radar network is a major step forward I cannot stress enough the need for all member states to secure their air space with anti-air capabilities which we can link to the Nordic Air Defence Network under NORSCOM"

"In addition, we will also be happy to pay for the anti-ballistic missile radar capabilities - Norwegian representative I believe you have the radars capable of this?"

@JamieA
@Odinson

 

[Connor]

@JamieA
@Odinson

 

[Odinson]

"Yes, we can produce radar with such capabilities. It is called Globus II. Each unit costs $100,000,000. This of course is not including the cost of building a small facility to accommodate, maintain, and secure it which we estimate would be $5,000,000-$10,000,000 depending on how remote the site is. That is very generous of the Swedish government being willing to pay for these capabilities. Norway presently cannot afford to contribute in such a massive way, not to mention our smaller tax base to start with, but if you do pay for the entirety of this project I'm sure the Norwegian government would like to find a way to contribute back," she said.

She looked at the Swedish ambassador and folded her hands, "Sweden's generosity in this process has been very welcomed so far, however I don't want any of us, yourself included, to feel like that we're taking advantage of Sweden, or that we don't have any skin in the game since we aren't paying our share. Seeing as our countries have different populations, and therefor different GDPs, should we perhaps devise a more equitable system where our countries pay for these international projects based on our population? For example:
Sweden's population is 10,053,135.
Denmark's population is 5,775,224.
Norway's population is 5,400,916.
So, the total Scandinavian Population is 21,229,275.

"Therefor, theoretically, we could set it up to where Sweden pays for 47.36% of a project, Denmark would pay 27.20%, and Norway would pay 25.44%. The reason I am proposing this is because I wouldn't want us to be in a situation where Sweden is constantly flipping the bill for projects because Denmark and Norway are unable to pay an even third. I think this would also be fair because it would be done exactly by our population and therefor roughly by our tax-base. On top of this, I would like us to keep track of how much each country pays for projects, and also when a certain country volunteers to cover the costs of projects so that we know either how much the other two need to pay them back, or how much that country has generously donated."

She continued, "I understand that Sweden is in a very favorable financial situation right now and is able to contribute greatly, which I am thankful for, however I don't want us to take advantage of your country, and I don't want your government to feel as if they're the only ones with a stake in the game, so to speak. But I wouldn't want to implement any of these proposed changes unless you thought this was fair, ambassador," she said to her Swedish colleague.

"Also, the Minister of Foreign Affairs has informed me that he has spoken with a very old and trusted Construction Company in Norway which has agreed to build the NORSCOM headquarters for us. Locations are presently being scouted for the headquarters, I will give you an update soon on this. I've been told that a ballpark estimate of the facility is that it could range from $1,000,000,000 to $3,000,000,000 depending on how large it is, and how remote it is; however the exact number has yet to be determined.

"Also... I've been told that under the recommendation from the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, King-in-Council has appointed the General of the Norwegian Royal Air Force, Dan Jasper, for the position of Supreme Nordic Commander. We would of course only need the permission of those assembled here to make this official. I am in favor of it," she said, concluding her statements.
@Connor
@JamieA

 

[JamieA]

"I've just receieved word back from the Ministry of Defence Procurement team, they're willing to sell 17 radars for the price of $1,232,500,000.00" the ambassador would pause before continuing "We agree with our Norwegian counterparts, regarding the payment of future projects being split with to regards. Denmark is not in a favourable position to contribute much at the moment in time due to the financial situation here in Denmark but once we are back on our feet we will be more than happily contribute more where we can"

 

[Connor]

Jessica smiles to the Norwegian "I have heard about the Globus II, fortunately it's capabilities mean it reduces the necessity for us to have numerous posts, perhaps only two are required... One purely to serve as a backup. Sweden's economy is booming at the moment and project-dependent we woulkd be happy to pay the 47.36% of future endeavours. However, we must be mindful that foreign investment of Swedish-taxpayer money is strictly managed, it would heavily depend on a case-by-case basis."

"I categorically agree that the General of the Norwegian Royal Air Force, Dan Jasper, would be perfect for the role in NORSCOM"

She then darts her eyes to the Danish
"Ah... our estimates priced the AN/TPS-77 at around the $22,000,000.00 per unit mark?"

 

[JamieA]

The Danish representative looked to the laptop before replying to the Swedish Ambassador "Sorry, they've priced each variant. That would be the price for the AN/FPS-177, the price for the AN/TPS-77 would be $504,900,000.00 for 17 unit(s), this has been heavily discounted for the Nordic region partners. " the ambassador would pause before looking to the Norwegians and replying "We agree 100% that the General of the Norwegian Royal Air Force would be perfect for the role and we welcome him and wish him the best of luck in his new found position"

@Connor
@Odinson

 

[Connor]

"We will consider our options with the radar, half a billion dollars for seventeen units is beyond my signature capabilities"

Jessica forward an email among those within the room "As discussed my team have developed the Allemannsrett Area - in short, it creates a uniform visa system for signatory states and permits freedom of movement. There are clauses for exceptions and fines which I encourage you to read. It does beg the question though, the Nordic Council desperately requires a central fund that we can call access... I am aware of the $25,000,000.00 monthly charge for such accounts via the Global Bank however."

Allemannsrett Area Agreement of visa protocol between Sweden, Denmark and Norway ​ Preamble "Founding members" shall have the meaning hereinafter as the "Sweden, Denmark and Norway"; "Member states" shall refer to the subsequent signatories of the Stockholm Treaty as detailed in Stockholm Treaty; "Signatory states" shall refer to the founding members, subsequent member states of the Nordic Council and external ratifying nations as detailed in the Stockholm Treaty and in this agreement; "Internal borders" shall refer to as the common land borders of the signatory states; "External borders" shall refer to the land and sea borders and their airports and sea ports, providing they are not internal borders; "Border crossing point" shall refer to any crossing point authorised by the competent authorities for crossing external borders; "Border check" shall refer to any check carried out at a border (whether internal or external) in response exclusively to an intention to cross that border; Mandatory Measures Article 1 (1) Upon ratification of the agreement the signatory government must abolish all current visa and travel-related checks, agreements and formalities and act in accordance with the condition laid down throughout this document.​ Abolition of checks at Internal Borders Article 2 (1) Internal borders may be crossed, at any time and point, without any checks on persons being carried out on nationals of signatory states.​ (1a) Mandatory border checks for the matter of national security or in the exercise of police powers by competent authorities under domestic law are not effected by this article.​ (1b) Border checks on goods shall be carried out in accordance with the relevant provisions of this agreement.​ Crossing of External Borders Article 3 (1) External borders may only be crossed as border crossing points and during appropriate fixed opening hours, if applicable.​ (1a) Signatory states competent authorities are empowered under this agreement to issue penalties for the unauthorised crossing of external borders at places other than crossing points or at times other than the fixed opening hours, if applicable.​ (1a i.) Penalties may not exceed the value of the respective visa, in accordance with the relevant provisions of this agreement, plus $10,000.00 mandatory fixed penalty or;​ (1a ii.) Subject to up to two years imprisonment, plus $10,000.00 mandatory fixed penalty, or both.​ (1b) Any monetary penalty received by a signatory state must be paid immediately and in full, minus appropriate expenses, to the Nordic Council.​ (2) Persons passing any external border, including those using any border crossing point as a means to transfer to alternate transit, will be subject to an entry check.​ (2a) Persons travelling internally will be subject to both documentation and goods checks on entry only.​ (2b) Persons travelling externally will be subject to both documentation and goods checks on entry and departure.​ Article 4 (1) For stays exceeding a period of recognised freedom (two (2) months), persons are subject to the following conditions;​ (1a) Persons must possess a valid document or documents authorising them to cross the border;​ (1b) Persons must possess a valid visa, unless a national of a Nordic Council member state;​ (1c) Persons must produce documents justifying the purpose and conditions of the intended stay and that they have the sufficient means for the period of intended stay and to return to their country of origin or transit to another state;​ (1d) Persons must not be considered a threat to public policy, national security or the international relations of any signatory state;​ (1e) Persons must not have any outstanding alert for the purpose of refusing entry.​ (2) Any person who does not for fill the necessary conditions must be refused entry into the territories of the signatory states unless it is considered necessary on humanitarian grounds, on the grounds of national interest or because of international obligations. In such cases authorisation to enter will be restricted to the territory of the receiving state.​ (2a) Signatory states competent authorities are empowered under this agreement to issue penalties for the attempted illegitimate crossing of external borders.​ (2a i.) Penalties may not exceed the value of the respective visa, in accordance with the relevant provisions of this agreement, plus $150,000.00 mandatory fixed penalty or;​ (2a ii.) Subject to up to three years imprisonment, plus $150,000.00 mandatory fixed penalty, or;​ (2a iii.) Subject to extradition to country of origin, plus $150,000.00 mandatory fixed penalty, or a combination of all three;​ (2b) Any monetary penalty received by a signatory state must be paid immediately and in full, minus appropriate expenses, to the Nordic Council.​ (2) Persons passing any external border, including those using any border crossing point as a means to transfer to alternate transit, will be subject to an entry check.​ Article 5 (1) Cross-border movement at external borders shall be subject to checks by the competent authorities. Checks shall be carried out for the signatory states territories, in accordance with the following principles, taking into account national powers, national law and the interests of all signatory states;​ (1a) Checks on persons shall include verification of travel documents and other conditions governing entry, residence, work and exit;​ (1b) Checks to prevent threats to the national security and public policy of signatory states;​ (1c) Where the law permits, searches of vehicles, goods and persons crossing the border;​ (1d) Checks to establish a persons identity on the basis of the production or presentation of their travel documents.​ (2) Any person who does not for fill the necessary conditions must be refused entry into the territories of the signatory states unless it is considered necessary on humanitarian grounds, on the grounds of national interest or because of international obligations. In such cases authorisation to enter will be restricted to the territory of the receiving state.​ (2a) Signatory states competent authorities are empowered under this agreement to issue penalties for the attempted illegitimate crossing of external borders.​ (2a i.) Penalties may not exceed the value of the respective visa, in accordance with the relevant provisions of this agreement, plus $150,000.00 mandatory fixed penalty or;​ (2a ii.) Subject to up to three years imprisonment, plus $150,000.00 mandatory fixed penalty, or;​ (2a iii.) Subject to extradition to country of origin, plus $150,000.00 mandatory fixed penalty, or a combination of all three;​ (2b) Any monetary penalty received by a signatory state must be paid immediately and in full, minus appropriate expenses, to the Nordic Council.​ (2) Persons passing any external border, including those using any border crossing point as a means to transfer to alternate transit, will be subject to an entry check.​ Short-Term Visas Article 6 (1) Signatory states undertake to adopt a common policy on the movement of persons and, in particular, on the arrangements for visas. They shall assist each other to that end. Signatory states pursue through common consent the harmonisation of their policies on visas.​ (2) Visas granted under the Allemannsrett Area agreement are valid in the territories of all signatory states and subject to the conditions determined in the text of this agreement unless;​ (2a) Prior to the granting of a visa or within three (3) days of it being granted, any signatory state expresses an overriding reason for why this should be be in effect, namely;​ (2a i.) Exceptional circumstances for common visa arrangement to be inappropriate or;​ (2a ii.) Circumstances which could damage or in any way effect the relationship between signatory states or;​ (2a iii.) Matters relating to national security.​ (3) In the event of Article 1 Section 2 being relevant, all signatory states should be consulted and amendments to the common visa arrangements should be enacted immediately, taking into account the consequences of that decision on national interests, the integrity of the Allemannsrett Area agreement and national security.​ Article 7 (1) Signatory states agree to adopt the Allemannsrett Area Visa Application form and all subsequent formatting, templates and documentation.​ (2) Mandatory fees and handling charges must apply to all visa applications namely;​ (2a) A flat handling fee of $500.00 per person alongside the fee for the appropriate reason for travel;​ (2a i.) Tourism visa: $150.00;​ (2a ii.) Business visa: $400.00;​ (2a iii.) Visiting Friends/Family visa: $150.00;​ (2a iv.) Study visa: $350.00;​ (2a v.) Cultural visa: $350.00;​ (2a vi.) Sports Event visa: $350.00;​ (2a vii.) Official Visit visa: $450.00;​ (2a viii.) Transit visa: $500.00;​ (2a ix.) Medical visa: $550.00;​ (2a x.) Diplomatic visas are free of charge and sit exempt from the handling fee, and;​ (2a xi.) Other visa: $1200.00;​ Article 8 (1) Visas approved by any signatory state in the uniform Allemannsrett Area format are valid for the written period of validity, which is also to be recorded electronically for reference, however may not exceed two (2) months in duration.​ (2) All signatory states reserve the right to enter restrictions on any approved visas, this includes but is not limited to territorial validity.​ (3) Denied applicants are unable to reapply with any signatory state of the Allemannsrett Area for a period of four (4) months.​ (4) Applicants must be provided with appropriate correspondence informing them of the decision made on their application with the necessary endorsements from the competent authority.​ Long-Term Visas Article 9 (1) Long-Term Visas within the Allemannsrett Area are subject to approval by the Nordic Committee for Administrative Affairs unless;​ (1a) Visa restrictions in place prevent travel any further than the approving signatory state or;​ (1b) Exceptional circumstances require the approval of application without undue delay, in such case the Nordic Committee for Administrative Affairs should be made aware ass soon as practicable, not exceeding two (2) days.​ (2) Signatory states undertake to adopt a common policy on the movement of persons and, in particular, on the arrangements for visas. They shall assist each other to that end. Signatory states pursue through common consent the harmonisation of their policies on visas.​ (3) Visas granted under the Allemannsrett Area agreement are valid in the territories of all signatory states and subject to the conditions determined in the text of this agreement unless;​ (3a) Prior to the granting of a visa or within three (3) days of it being granted, any signatory state expresses an overriding reason for why this should be be in effect, namely;​ (3a i.) Exceptional circumstances for common visa arrangement to be inappropriate or;​ (3a ii.) Circumstances which could damage or in any way effect the relationship between signatory states or;​ (3a iii.) Matters relating to national security.​ (4) In the event of Article 9 Section 3 being relevant, all signatory states should be consulted and amendments to the common visa arrangements should be enacted immediately, taking into account the consequences of that decision on national interests, the integrity of the Allemannsrett Area agreement and national security.​ Article 10 (1) Signatory states agree to adopt the Allemannsrett Area Visa Application form and all subsequent formatting, templates and documentation.​ (2) Mandatory fees and handling charges must apply to all visa applications namely;​ (2a) A flat handling fee of $1000.00 per person alongside the fee for the appropriate reason for travel;​ (2a i.) Tourism visa: $300.00;​ (2a ii.) Business visa: $800.00;​ (2a iii.) Visiting Friends/Family visa: $300.00;​ (2a iv.) Study visa: $700.00;​ (2a v.) Cultural visa: $700.00;​ (2a vi.) Sports Event visa: $700.00;​ (2a vii.) Official Visit visa: $900.00;​ (2a viii.) Transit visa: $1000.00;​ (2a ix.) Medical visa: $110.00;​ (2a x.) Diplomatic visas are free of charge and sit exempt from the handling fee, and;​ (2a xi.) Other visa: $2400.00;​ Government of Movement Article 11 (1) Persons who have legally entered the territory of any signatory state may move freely within the territories of all the signatory states during the period of validity of their visas, provided they fulfil entry conditions defined in Article 4.​ (2) Persons not subject to visa requirements may move freely within the territories of the signatory states for a maximum period of three (3) months.​ (3) Persons who hold valid residence permits issued by one of the signatory states may, on the basis of that permit and a valid travel document, move freely for up to three (3) months within the territories of the other signatory states.​ (4) Persons who have legally entered the territory of one of the signatory states shall be obliged to report to the relevant competent authority of the signatory state whose territory they enter.​ (4a) Such persons have a grace period of three (3) working days from date of entry.​ (5) Should conditions of short-stay visa no longer be fulfilled by any person they should normally be required to leave the territory of any signatory state immediately.​ (5a) Where persons have no left voluntarily or where it may be assumed that they will not do so or where their immediate departure is required for reasons of national security or public policy, they must be expelled from the territory of the signatory state in which they were apprehended, in accordance with the national law of that signatory state.​ (5b) This article should not preclude the application of national provisions on the right of asylum as detailed in the Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.​ Extradition Article 12 (1) The signatory states of this agreement undertake to extradite, at the require of one of the signatory states, persons against whom proceedings are being brought for acts punishable under domestic law of any signatory state.​ (1a) In which case an official Request for Formal Extradition (RFE) should be sent to the relevant and competent office of the appropriate signatory state, the competent offices shall be:​ (1a i.) Kingdom of Sweden: the Department of Justice;​ (1a ii.) Kingdom of Norway: the Ministry of Justice;​ (1a ii.) Kingdom of Denmark: the Ministry of Justice​

 

[JamieA]

While looking at the email sent over by the Swedish Delegate before speaking "This looks fine to me, I shall get this sent off back home to be put into place. Denmark will be more than willing to put forward the fee for the monthly cost for a account within the Global Bank"

@Connor
@Odinson

 

[Connor]

"I have had a response from the Department of Defence, we will purchase the seventeen AN/TPS-77 radars for $450,000,000.00 - a considerable markup, technically breaching the guidelines set forth in the Nordic Concordant... however this needs to begin production immediately"

@JamieA

 

[JamieA]

"Once the money has been transfered, we shall get the production going"

@Connor

 

[JamieA]

The Danish Ambassador would look to the Swedish Delegate once again before speaking "I've just received word that the Danish Air Force is looking to aquire some Early Warning Aircraft, would Sweden be willing to sell the Saab 340 AEW&C? We would need roughly 4 units"

@Connor

 

[Odinson]

"I will send the Allemannsrett Area treaty to the Storting right away for ratification. That is a very well-written document," she said.
@Connor
@JamieA

 

[Odinson]

"It will be important for us to establish a finance-account for the Nordic Council, and thus extended to NORSCOM. To save us money, the Minister of Finance recommended to me that we make an account with Polaris Banking, which only charges $5-million per tax period instead of the $25-million standard from the International Bank. I could see to an account being set up for us, if the two of you find this acceptable? I think at this point we just need to formally agree to the treaty that establishes the Nordic Council, so we can crack on," the Norwegian ambassador said.
@Connor
@JamieA

 

[JamieA]

"Personally, I don't agree with an outside company taking charge with Nordic Council funds. What happens if they go into administration and liquidation? What happens to our money, I believe for the time being we should all have joint control over the business account and once again Denmark is willing to pay the $25Mil upkeep cost for the account. I may suggest on another note, that there is a Danish independent Shipping company by the name of Maersk, the Kingdom of Denmark will be using this company for trade. Maybe the Nordic council can use this shipping company for future trade deals, and I'm sure the company would give a decent discount for our nations"

@Connor
@Odinson

 

[Odinson]

"From what I understand, Polaris Banking doesn't invest the money that's put in their bank. Instead, they charge every entity that has an account with them $5-million per month. They are not conducting any high-risk transactions with the money that is put in their bank, and the bank itself is registered in a stable, first-world country - The Netherlands. I believe there are a number of Norwegian companies which are registered with this bank. It would be a shame to have Danish tax-payers pay an unnecessary $25-million per tax period for no reason. At the very least, I think the account with Polaris Banking should be used at first as we start up the Nordic Council, since our balance probably isn't going to be massive anyway."
@JamieA
@Connor

 

[Connor]

"I would be happy to see our accounts handled by Polaris Banking if it saves us $15,000,000.00 per tax period; it is important that we recieve conformation from the organisation that our monies are protected from domestic political occurrences, corporate insufficiency, investment and some form of insurance is provided to us in respect to these points. I don't want to see Polaris Banking go into bankruptcy and as a result stored money is simply lost as collateral. Afterall, this is not funding we have achieved by corporate sales, this is the money of our tax-payers and it would be wrong for us to not ensure it is protected appropriately. Seeing as Norway has clearly established some form of relationship with Polaris Banking thusfar, could you be tasked with confirming assurances for our monies?

It is fundamental that we have some form of corporate account open, not only for the establishment of NORSCOM but also to allow for the deposit of costs and penalties accrued in line with the Allemannsrett Area arrangements."

@Odinson
@JamieA

 

[Odinson]

"Yes, I would be happy to arrange for someone from our government to talk to them as soon as possible. I will get that information back here ASAP," she said as she quickly sent an encrypted email for someone below her in the food chain to take care of it.
@Connor
@JamieA