International Trade Conference

The duchesse of Brittany comes in after a short rest in the quarters dedicated to the Breton delegation. Chatting with Ann-Solenn Wolback, Countess of Pleheneg, Ambassador of Brittany to the English Kingdom, and Bahia de Meneac, Count of Leon, Trade Minister of Brittany. Once in the room, she stops laughing, getting back to being serious, nods at the young man at the door and glances around. The place is huge, finely arranged and beautifully furnished. She stops for a while to admire the painted ceiling. Fine work, definitely. She would have to ask Lord Baldar about that and the author of this piece of art, in case Cholet needed to be redecorated.
Looking at the room again, she catches sight of her neighbour from Anjou, and greets her with a smile as she comes near.

- Je suis sure que vous avez trouvé l'endroit exact, Salebete.
Nous autres continentaux sommes tout simplement un brin en avance, semble-t-il.
Avez-vous fait bonne route? Votre première fois en la terre d'Albion? Il est assez cocasse qu'il nous faille venir jusqu'ici pour nous croiser, ne trouvez-vous pas?*

They would enjoy the language of the continent for a little while, until their conference partners were there. Smiling gently, she casts a glance at the young squire and asks, like at home:

Could we have some wine, mar plij?**

With moderation, indeed.

* I'm sure you found the exact right spot, Salebete. We continentalers are just a bit ahead of time, it appears.did you have a safe journey? Is it your first time in the land of Albion? Rather odd that we have to come all the way here to meet, don't you think?
** Please, in breton.

Baldar entered the room, and diplomats were already arriving, Baldar went to greet the first arrivals, he bowed to the Duchess of Brittany and the Breton delegation,


Duchess Chimera, I hope all is well, have the servants brought refreshment? Lady Wolback, good to see you, Lord Bahia,

as soon as others arrive the conference will start.

Chancellor  Salebete, welcome. The servants brought the wine and  refreshment. Baldar went to  his seat and started preparing his papers and speech.

Alyx knew none of those present. A little intimidated by all those people and the sumptuous room, she walked softly, smiling at all.

She heard a few words spoken in French and came to the lady who talked, she smiled at her and introduced herself:

Le Bon jour Dame, je suis Alyx du Nordet, vice chambellan de Normandie... Ce fut un plaisir d'entendre quelques mots en notre langue française... Puis-je m'enquérir du nom de votre gracieuse personne ?*





* Good Day Lady, I'm Alyx Nordet, vice chamberlain of Normandy ... It was a pleasure to hear a few words in our French language ... Can I ask the name of your gracious person?

Baldar having stood addressed the people present.

My , Lords, Ladies, Chancellors and Ambassados

While this is the IV confernece in this Castle lots have changed since the last conference last year. A lot of ideas were brought forward but wordly events stopped it going further.

We have here the possibility to creat the foundations of Treaties for trade and also to see how to best unite in fighting our common enemies.

For now I would like to start a discussion on Trade. Last year I presented as an example a discussed treaty of Trade, discussed in a similar conference held in Venice, which I was honored to attend, a few years back. I would like to present it here as a base to start a discussio.


By the Doge of Venice, in this case we can maybe use it as an example, to work on

Cangrande wrote:

Here you are the proposal of agreement:

Quote :

TREATY OF TRADE AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

 
Following the International Trade Conference held at the Palazzo Ducale in Venice in June 1457,

In reference to the will of all the contractors to increase international trade in the region to contribute to wealth and prosperity for all populations concerned,

With the common desire that through this cooperation we can reduce as much as possible any conflict in the region and ensure peace,

The Contracting Parties bind themselves to sign and respect this  treaty of trade and economic cooperation.

Article I
1. The Contracting Parties bind themselves to send to a room specially designated of the Palazzo Ducale in Venice their Trade Ministers or other persons delegated by them.
2. In this room, representatives of each contracting party may report the goods they intend to buy or sell, in order to facilitate trade in the region.
3. In this room, all those who have access are required to communicate in English.

Article II
1. The Contracting Parties bind themselves to participate actively in trade cooperation, ensuring the passage of goods from one province to another.
2. Each Contracting Party binds itself to appoint one or more merchants in its border cities to facilitate such cooperation.
3. The Government of each Contracting Party binds itself to cooperate in the sale of goods held by other parties. Such collaboration requires a constant communication and use of warrants for the transfer of goods in the region.
4. In the attached is proposed an example of this trade system of how it have to work.

Article III
1. Any merchant that provides the service on behalf of this trade cooperation will receive for each day of travel a salary of 20 pounds.
2. Each “transition province” has a right of way to a compensation equal to 10 pounds each time must give his aid to the cooperation system.
3. These costs should be divided equally between the province that sells goods and the province that buys goods. These provinces may also agree in a different way.

Article IV
1. The Contracting Parties bind themeselves as more as possible to ensure the safety of merchants and the success of trade.
2. The responsability of the goods belongs to the province where the goods are located.
3. All Contracting Parties bind themselves to process any robbers that impede the conclusion of trade held in the name of this Treaty, even if the act of robbery occurs outside its territory.
4. The merchants who are appointed for the purpose of trade cooperation that in any way impede or steal the goods will be pursued until their death by all the contracting parties, notwithstanding other laws.
5. Any Contracting Party would impede the proper functioning of the system of trade cooperation without proper justification, will have an appropriate retaliation from all other contracting parties. Such retaliation may go from economic isolation to war.

Article V
1. In case of dispute about the application of the Treaty or on the system of trade cooperation, the Parties shall decide by majority vote.
2: The Contracting Parties bind themselves to respect the decisions taken by majority vote.

Article VI
1. The Contracting Parties bond themselves to organize at least once a year a trade and economic conference to check the state of cooperation and evaluate any proposals for improvement.
2. The seat of this Conference will be decided by vote of the Contracting Parties between the provinces that are proposed to host.
3. The Contracting Parties reserve the right to create supranational bodies to ensure a better functioning of the economic and trade cooperation.

Article VII
1. All provinces participating in the conference in June 1457 may sign this treaty and become a fully-fledged Parties thereto.
2. Any new contractors must have the consent of all contractors to participate in the treaty.

Article VIII
1. This Treaty shall enter into force without limit of time after the ratification by the contractors, who undertake their lands and their peoples.
2. By mutual consent, the rewriting of the Treaty may be made in full or in part.
3. The contractor who wishes to terminate this treaty will have to send an official letter to the other contractors and to publish this letter at the room in Palazzo Ducale (see Article 1). The treaty will be considered for this contractor canceled a week after the publication of the official letter.


Done in Venice,

Your thoughts Mi Lords and Ladies

Prince Natale, of Andorra, also has an idea

Natale wrote:

I give you also a little publication i've done and put also in the English diplomacy about the Way and trade.
There's the question of security of course, but also especially the need to realy boost the trade (mainly about luxury products and strategic values : stones, iron, wood).



http://forum.lesroyaumes.com/viewtopic.php?t=2160725

Quote :

The Way :

The Chief diplomat of the Crown of Aragon had a project in his head...
- Your Excellencies, don't you think that travels and the trade of luxury products and strategic values should be bolstered. Today we are still to work with difficulties, each on our side.
Some are too far from the productions, or maybe for us who are a little bit "at the center" the problem is to have a constant supply. So the project is to implement real trade routes.
To better illustrate his words he unrolled the map.


- The project is major and poses many questions to be resolved between partners of any kind :

• eliminate taxes on luxury products and strategic values (iron, stone, wood)
  
• working on a constant flow of exchanges in order that people will always have stocks to sell.
  
• to define 2 or 3 major roads to conect easily Northern/Atlantic & Med sea by the West, Baltic & Med sea by East and center Europe, and specializing destinations to shorten journeys
  
• to have the agreement of certains key states and their cities, for trade, help, security and reparations
  
• group also private partners  : ship and comercial companies, ship building... in order to directy associate them to the project.
  
• creating a real comercial league
  
• and othersthings...
  

- As you see, if you are interested in it we have a little work !

- So if you want, dear Excelencies, we can work together on this project of commerical roads, in my Chancellery in order to centralized a little bit all discussions on this subject.