POLITICO | In a press-conference, Lead Exit Negotiator for Hastiga, Michel Barnier (Dem.) announced the results of the negotiations between the Falleen federal government and the Hastigan state government on the terms of their possible departure from the Federation and Empire. Here is an excerpt from his statement:
Originally posted by Michel Barnier:
Ladies and gentleman, today I come to you with encouraging news for people, for businesses and for officials -- both Falleen and Hastigan. After months of meetings between our officials and those of the Hastigan state government, we have come to an agreement which maintains the integrity of the Falleen nation, and provides a workable and sustainable framework for a possible departure of the state of Hastiga from the Empire.
In the different phases of the negotiations, we discussed with Hastigan officials what the future relationship between our two countries would be in terms of citizen's rights, immigration, fulfilment of budgetary commitments, trade, security and a transition period for both countries to adapt. What was made clear from the get-go however, was that no deal would be reached which disadvantaged the Falleen people, for example by tarnishing the integrity of the federation by giving departing states a more favorable status than ones which remain, or allowing departing states to use independence to escape their commitments in regards to security and defence.
The main points of the exit deal have been summarised by POLITICO below:
Citizen's Rights: Hastigan citizens in Falleentium will maintain Falleen citizenship, Falleens in Hastiga will acquire Hastigan citizenship.
Immigration: Falleen and Hastigan citizens will enjoy free-visa travel for a total of 90 days in both countries. An extradition treaty will be signed between Falleentium and Hastiga to guarantee the legal oversight and sovereignty of both parties.
Monetary commitments: Hastiga agrees to commit to it's budgetary responsabilities by continuing to pay for collective federal services and it's relative slice of the sovereign debt for the transition period.
Transition period: A transition period between independence and the next federal election in 588AER shall give the Hastigan government the time to prepare it's institutions, and for businesses to adapt to the new trade regimes.
Nilira Alliance: Hastiga legally commits to spending 4% of it's GDP as a contingency of it's membership of the Nilira Alliance.
Currency: The Fall will be phased out of Hastiga during the transition period, and by the end Hastiga is expected to fully operate and manage it's own national currency.
Crown: Hastiga shall no longer be a part of the Falleen Empire, and upon exiting, may initiate talks with the Falleen government and Crown for the possibility of adopting His Imperial Majesty as the Monarch of Hastiga -- but outside of the Empire and without any ties to the Falleen Empire.
A source close to the Falleen negotiating team has released that the government was on it's own when it came to negotiations, and that even after loud calls from opposition parties to scrutinise the negotiations -- which was subsequently answered with the establishment of a Parliamentary Exit Negotiation Scrutiny Committee -- nothing was done by other parties outside the government to shape the ongoing discourse. This would render, in the source's opinion, any criticism of the reached deal with the Hastigan officials as "hypocritical" and "empty" considering "their lack of the slightest of care to involve themselves with or scrutinise the negotiations".