A ship from Bremen arrives in the harbour nearest the Pommern capital, and a man makes way towards the ducal palace.
As he enters, he shows his credentials to the guards, and is brought before the duke.
He bows and starts speaking.
"Joachim Zbigniew Friedrich von Klenau-Kaminski of the Greif, heir to the ducal throne of Pommerania, Regent and Protector of the Country.
I bring mine and Bremens best wishes for your fathers health, and for the relations between our nations.
I bring the best wishes and thanks from Bert Stahl, commander of the Bremer Army and coordinator of the Imperial Forces, for the support of Pommerian forces in crushing the rebellion in Hungary.
My name is Adolf Mannheim, and I will, with your permission, act as Bremer ambassador to Pommern.
My first act will be to present the following charter. It is my dukes hope that Pommern will be among the first nations to sign this agreement, thus beginning a new era of commerce and cooperation for the mechants of the North Sea and the Baltic.
I am offcourse willing to discuss tghe finer points before Your Highness decides whether or not to sign the agreement."
With these words Adolf Mannhein presents a paper to the duke.
Charter for the Hansa Trade Union.
The goal of the Hansa Trade Union
-The Hansa Trade Unions goal is to ease trade and increase profit earned by trade for all merchants from member nations on the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.
-The Hansa Trade Union is not a military union. All members are allowed to join military unions without the approval of the Hansa Trade Union Council, should they so wish.
The Hansa Trade Union Council
-The Hansa Trade Union will have its seat in the city of Bremen. All members of the Trade Union will send one ambassador to the Hansa Trade Union Council.
-The Hansa Trade Union will not be lead by Bremen, but will in all matters follow the course chosen by the Hansa Trade Union Council. The Duke of Bremen will act as chairman at the Councils meetings.
-In the Hansa Trade Union Councils meetings, each member-nation will have one vote.
-The Hansa Trade Union Council will decide the outcome of any vote, except changing this charter, by simple majority of the given votes. In case of a tie, the Duke of Bremen determines the Hansa Trade Union Councils decision.
-This charter may only be changed by a vote in the Hansa Trade Union Council, in which all votes are cast for the change.
-The Duke of Bremen will be the only negotiator for the Hansa Trade Union, unless he appoints another.
No agrement or treaty is valid unless approved by the Hansa Trade Union Council by a vote, following the guidelines laid down in this document.
Membership of the Hansa Trade Union
-No member of the Trade Union may declare war upon another member.
-Should members of the Trade Union as a result of alliances end up in war, all warring members will be suspended from the Trade Unions meetings for the duration of the hostile actions.
-Should a member wish to leave the Trade Union, that member may do so withour fear, simply by declaring so to the Hansa Trade Union Council.
-The Hansa Trade Union Council may expel a nation from the Hansa Trade Union, providing all members of the Council excluding the one represanting the nation in question votes in favor of expelsion.
-To be accepted as a member of the Union, a nation must fullfill the following criteria:
- The nation in question must have a port to the North Sea or the Baltic Sea.
- The nations must be invited to join by the duke of Bremen.
- The nations must be accepted as member by all current members of the Union.
- The nation must accept this charter.
Obligations and rights of Hansa Trade Union members
-Members must obey the following rules:
- No member of the Union may ever ban merchants from other members of the Hansa Trade Union from trading within their realms, nor may Hansa members place tolls or tariffs on merchants from another Hansa member.
- All merchants owing alligence to a ruler, whose nation is a member of the Hansa Trade Union, will agree not to lower their prices below minimum prices agreed on by the Hansa Trade Union. These minimum prices can only be regulated be the Hansa Trade Union Council.
- Should any nation place a trade embargo on a member of the Hansa Trade Union, all members of the Hansa Trade Union will in return place trade embargoes on that nation, lasting untill said nation lifts the trade embargo.
- Should any nation declare war upon a member of the Hansa Trade Union, all members of the Hansa Trade Union will in return place trade embargoes on that nation, lasting untill said nation ends the hostile actions against the Hansa member.
- Should any nation place tolls or tariffs on merchants from a member of the Hansa Trade Union, all members of the Hansa Trade Union will in return impose tolls and tariffs of equal magnitude upon merchants from said nation, untill said nation lifts its tolls and tariffs.
- Members are bound to follow any agreements and treaties signed by the Hansa Trade Union Council, even is a member nation was not part of the Hansa Trade Union when said treaty was signed or agreement made.
- Should any member of the Hansa Trade Union not follow the guidelines laid down in this document, said member would be excluded by the Council after having exactly one month to correct the issue, counted from the day the member was made aware of the breach of rules, and all members of the Union would ban said nations merchants from their territories for a full year, starting the exact day of the nation leaving the Hansa Trade Union.
After this period, the nation can rejoin the Hansa Trade Union, should it so wish, if said nation fullfills the criteria listed above, including full agrements of the member nations and invitation from the Duke of Bremen.
